Group health plans insure multiple parties on one policy. As a result, your employer often provides your health insurance through group coverage. Because these are group plans, you might have the opportunity to add members of you own family to the plan as well. Often, group plans can help everyone in your family get coverage. Nevertheless, is it the right step to take? What’s the process like when adding coverage?

Adding dependents to coverage usually is not difficult. However, you will need to pay attention to the details when doing so.

Adding Someone to Your Group Health Plan

Most employer plans will allow you to add a dependent, like a child, to your coverage. Generally, you’ll become the main participant in the policy. Anyone you add will become an extra participant. That usually gives you the authority to add or remove them from your coverage as necessary.

To add an individual, review your plan’s eligibility requirements. This will usually provide you with an enrollment process.

• Your policy won’t allow you to add anyone as an additional insured party. Generally, you can only add children and spouses to your plan. In certain other cases, extra parties can take part.
• Usually, regardless of whether a new participant has health challenges, they can join your plan.
• When your new participant enrolls, you will likely see your premium cost increase. That simply is because there is a premium per participant. The exact amount you will pay will depend. Specific plans price family participants in different manners. Your insurer will likely provide you with a fact sheet on the breakdown of your total premium.
• Often, you can only add participants during your annual enrollment period. The exact calendar dates will vary.
• When enrollment approaches, provide all the individual’s information accurately. You'll likely need.

Often, entire families can join one health insurance plan. That will allow cohesion and better coordination when it comes to benefits. Even so, just because you can enroll all family members on your group plan doesn’t mean you should.

Take a close look at the perks and pricing offered in your plan. If you find that your family can actually benefit from a different type of protection, it might be worth the cost to invest in a separate plan for those members. You’ll have to compare deductibles, co-payments, premiums and covered services to decide which course of action is right. Talk to one of our agents at 410-312-7800 to determine the appropriate protection.

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