Can you drop a spouse from health insurance at any time?

You cannot remove your spouse or ex-spouse from the health insurance plan immediately. However,  with limited exceptions, to make a change in group health plans until the qualifying event. The  following is applicable for the Affordable Care Act marketplace and employer coverage plans. 

The below-mentioned qualifying events permit changes outside of the open enrollment, including removing your spouse from the coverage so that you do not get stuck with unnecessary bills.  

• Marriage 
• Adoption or birth of a child 
• Legal separation/divorce 
• Death of spouse or  dependents 
• Change in dependents eligibility status (e.g- changed due to age, marriage, or independence)
• Change in employment status of Self/spouse’s/dependent 
• Changes in hours affecting the benefits eligibility 
• Relocation 
• Any additional coverage ends 
• Changes in entitlement about Medicaid or Medicare 

The above legitimate reasons will help you remove your spouse from the policy in the middle of the plan year. The removal from the health plan must happen within  30 days from the date of the qualifying event. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait for the next open enrollment period to make any changes.  

The annual enrollment periods often occur between mid-october till mid-december. Employers usually have it in the fall or winter. The Affordable Care Act open enrollment period occurs between  Nov.1 to Dec.15 in most states. 

No longer dependent on spouse’s health insurance plan 

If your spouse drops you from the plan, and you have multiple health coverage options, you can still stay and have the same coverage through COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act). It is for a limited time and considered as a safety net to keep the benefit and coverage. Although, the health insurance plan and the provider network will offer the same benefits. However, the same is not applicable to the employer that can even cause out-of-pocket insurance costs.  

In addition, you can have an ACA health insurance marketplace plan in which it offers subsidies based on your income, which will help you pay for coverage. ACA marketplace has multiple options and companies to choose from in your post-dissolution needs. 

Another option is to get short-term health insurance. It is common in most states at lower rates with limited offers. It is annual with twice renewal. It is a short-term health coverage option that cannot replace the long-term plan, and therefore, some states forbid or have stricter time limits. 

How to drop an ex-spouse from the plan? 

After the legal separation, a spouse is no longer eligible, dropping within 60 days of the divorce,  followed by the change form and copy of the first and last page of the final settlement. Keeping a  divorced spouse under the plan is deceitful, so the coverage ends on the month of the qualifying event. COBRA offers coverage options to ex-spouses for 36 months, post that they have to pay full for the rendered services. However, for dependent or ineligible spouse that’s active on the plan post 60 days of the qualifying event period window leads to paying the higher premium until the year ends.