Is your spouse getting a new job a qualifying event

A spouse or dependent gaining, changing, or losing coverage allows you to make changes to your insurance plans as it is a qualified life event.

Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance

You can make changes to your health, dental, or vision insurance within 30 days of a spouse or dependent gaining or losing eligibility for insurance. You also have the option to change from one plan option to another, or change plans all together. If you do complete a midyear change in plans, any deductible amount or amount towards your maximum out-of-pocket will transfer to your new plan. Coverage will be effective the first of the month after the effective change of coverage. Any other changes to your plan must be made during the open enrollment period.

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) – Health Care and Dependent Care

You can change your contributions or enroll in an FSA due to a qualifying life event. Your deductions will start the month after the election is made and you are eligible to use health care FSA contributions as of the effective date of coverage. You are able to use dependent care contributions as they accrue.

• More Info: Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

Voluntary Term Life (VTL) Insurance

Eligible employees can elect/increase/decrease or de-enroll from voluntary term life for themselves, their spouse or their children due to a spouse or dependent’s change in coverage.. The premium for VTL includes accidental death and dismemberment insurance and can be calculated for each coverage amount by viewing page four of the Group Voluntary Term Life Coverage document.

• Rates: VTL Benefits at a Glance (pg. 4)

Beneficiaries

• If you need to update your life insurance beneficiaries due to a qualifying life event, please use the Benefits Self-Service System.
• For IPERS beneficiaries, please log into the IPERS website to update.
• To update your TIAA beneficiaries, please log onto the TIAA website to update.

• Access: Benefits Self-Service
• Access: IPERS Portal
• Access: UNI TIAA Portal

Documentation

If you decide to make changes to your benefits you will need to provide the following documentation:

• Spouse/dependent coverage status change (enrollment or termination notice, etc), or
• Spouse/dependent employment status documents (offer letter, COBRA notice, etc), or
• Letter from other employer documenting gain/loss of coverage

Benefit Enrollment

• When You Can Make Changes to Your Benefits

  Annual Open Enrollment

  If you do not make any changes during open enrollment your coverage selection will remain the same.

  More Info: Open Enrollment

  Qualifying Life Event

  You may also enroll, waive, or change your coverage selection based on a qualifying life event.

  More Info: Qualifying Life Event

• How to Make Changes to Your Benefits

  UNI Employee Benefits Self-Service

  Benefits Self-Service System is designed to help you enroll, make changes, and view your current benefit elections all in one location. For additional support, visit the Benefits Self-Service Help site.

  We all know that it’s possible to change our health insurance plans during open enrollment. But what if you want to change your insurance at some point in the months between open enrollment periods? You can’t do so on a whim, but you may be able to take advantage of a special enrollment period when you have a qualifying life event. Here’s how it works.

  A financial advisor can help you create a financial plan for your health costs and needs. 

  What Is a Qualifying Life Event?

  A qualifying life event is a change in your family status or health insurance needs that’s serious enough to require a change in your health insurance coverage. If you buy a plan through the government’s Marketplace, you have a 60-day period from the time of a qualifying life event to change your health plan. If you get health insurance through your employer, you generally have 30 days from the qualifying event to change your coverage.

  Family Changes

  So what counts as a qualifying life event? There are the big, obvious ones: birth, death, marriage and divorce. If you need to add or subtract someone from your coverage after one of these events you have a right to do so in the 60- or 30-day window. If you get married or divorced, become pregnant, have a baby, adopt a child or give a child up for foster care or adoption you qualify for a special enrollment period through the health insurance Marketplace.

  Coverage Change

  Other qualifying events relate to coverage. If you didn’t get health insurance through your job because you had insurance through your spouse’s job and then you lose that coverage, you’re entitled to enroll in your company’s health plan within 30 days. If you lose your employer-sponsored health insurance because you leave a job or get laid off, you qualify for a special enrollment period in the Marketplace. If you age out of being on your parent’s plan, you qualify for special enrollment too.

  If you were covering your spouse on your health plan at work and then he or she got insurance through a new employer, you’re allowed to take your spouse off your insurance. That way, your spouse’s premiums will no longer be deducted from your paycheck.

  If you or your spouse becomes eligible for a benefits program like Medicaid, Medicare or CHIP, you can change your coverage or cancel it altogether. The same goes for losing eligibility for one of those programs, since you can add coverage outside of open enrollment.

  Related Article: 10 Health Insurance Terms You Should Know

  Status Change

  There are other qualifying life events that relate to your status. If there’s a change in your disability status, tax filing status, citizenship or immigration status or status as an American Indian/Alaska Native or tribal member, you’re eligible to change your health insurance coverage. If you become incarcerated or are released from incarceration, you qualify too.

  Moving

  Moving to another state? Be sure to start a new Marketplace application via healthcare.gov if you don’t have employer-sponsored insurance. Or if the state you move to uses its own exchange, you can sign up for coverage through the state website.

  In some cases, moving to a different area within the same state can count as a qualifying life event as well. That’s because certain states have health plans that are only available to residents living in specific regions.

  Income

  If you have health insurance through the Marketplace, it’s a good idea to report any changes to your income. If your income goes up, you might lose your eligibility for discounted coverage. If you don’t report your income change, you might have to pay back some money to the government when you file your federal income tax return. If your income goes down, it’s in your best interest to report the change promptly because you may qualify for subsidies.

  Check out our free tax calculator.

  Making the Change

  If you’re getting your health insurance through the Marketplace you’ll have to log in and follow the instructions for enrolling in a special enrollment period. This will mean updating your health insurance application with your new life change. It’s also important to remember that reporting qualifying life events and income changes may mean that your eligibility for the premium tax credit changes, your out-of-pocket costs go up or down or that you have different coverage options.

  If you’re tweaking your employer-sponsored health insurance you’ll need to talk to your HR representative or supervisor. Or if your company uses an outside HR support site like TriNet you’ll need to log on and follow the instructions for changing your coverage.

  Bottom Line

  A qualifying life event can allow you to change your health insurance coverage outside of the annual enrollment period. Depending on your circumstances, you’ll need to make the change to your health plan within 30 to 60 days of the event.