My wife has been on my work insurance for over 12 years. We finalized the divorce paperwork in October, but we won’t officially become divorced until early 2025. Should I keep her on the insurance during open enrollment or remove her now? What are the pros and cons of each option? Thanks for your help!
If it’s open enrollment, does she have a job with benefits she can enroll in? Might be worth asking her about it.
The divorce will be a qualifying event. Don’t remove her now, but make sure to outline who pays the premium in temporary orders.
Wait, you could end up in trouble with the court if you take her off. Just keep her on for now.
janetnewman said:
Wait, you could end up in trouble with the court if you take her off. Just keep her on for now.
Thanks for the heads up! I really don’t want to deal with more legal issues.
In most states, you can’t cancel insurance until the divorce is finalized. If you take her off now, it could backfire.
Her debts are your debts until the divorce is finalized. You really want to risk her getting into something catastrophic uninsured?
Ann said:
Her debts are your debts until the divorce is finalized. You really want to risk her getting into something catastrophic uninsured?
Good point. I’d rather not deal with that kind of headache. I’ll keep her on.
A divorce is a qualifying life event. You can take her off once the divorce is final, so just hang tight.
Leave her on. If you take her off before the divorce is final, you might end up paying for her insurance out-of-pocket later.
Take the high road and keep her on until the divorce is finalized. It’ll save you a lot of hassle.
If I remember correctly, divorce qualifies for a mid-year change. Just check with your HR to be safe.
That’s a violation of the standard restraining order. Just wait until the divorce is finalized to notify HR.
You usually can’t change the status quo during proceedings. Best to leave it alone for now.
What are the standard orders in your state? In mine, you must maintain insurance until the divorce is finalized.