Quick Insurance Tips

More and more insurance companies are recognizing domestic partnerships and are allowing non married couples to be covered by the same insurance policy.  In some situations there are advantages of sharing the same health care policy in some situations there aren’t.

Domestic partners can be the same sex or opposite sex.  They must show evidence of having a committed relationship.  Typically the evidence requested is a legal document such as a will with the other partner named as a beneficiary or a deed in the names of both partners.  Different insurance companies will ask for different types of proof.

Advantages of Getting Health Insurance with Your Domestic Partner

Sometimes there are no advantages of purchasing health insurance with your domestic partner.  Some health insurance companies will price their policies for couples to equal the sum of the rate for the two individuals.  If there are only two people to be insured, there may be no difference aside from the benefit of being billed more conveniently.  Some companies will price your policy based on the age of the older spouse and this can make your policy cost more than the total cost of two separate policies.

Health insurance is sometimes priced based on the age of the younger spouse.  If that is the case, being on the same policy may lower your cost for health insurance.  In other cases an insurance company will give a discount for couples who are on the same policy.  Obviously if it is cheaper to be on the same policy than to be on separate policies, there is an advantage to buying from a company that will recognize your domestic partnership.

Another advantage may be the how your deductible is applied.  This may only affect you if there are more than two people to be insured.  Typically a health insurance company will charge no more than two deductibles per policy.  This can give a family an advantage if they are, for example, in the same car crash.

Health insurance for domestic partners may be available from a local carrier.  In Connecticut Anthem Blue Cross and Connecticare recognize domestic partnerships.

A carrier that recognizes domestic partnerships may or may not offer you the best price or coverage.  Look at all of your options before making a final decision.  You may get a better deal by buying separate policies.