I’ve attempted to find the answer online but am struggling.
Long story short: the company I work for recently switched insurance plans. My coworker was told that because he is covered by his wife’s insurance (wife works in completely different industry)he does not qualify for coverage under our companies insurance.
Located in Washington, and he is a full time employee who was dually insured prior to this switch.
Is this even legal? He’s missing out on a huge portion of our benefits package, and offered no compensation in leu of the insurance package.
Thank you!
Yes, the employer plan must not allow for a coordination of benefits. That’s pretty common. Most companies don’t offer compensation in lieu of benefits, that can create lots of problems.
Yes, I’ve heard of this before.
I thought this was pretty standard. Every company I have ever worked at has made it clear that if you’re covered by your spouse’s insurance, you can’t sign up for theirs. Most people pick the better of the two but I know some people who are each covered separately by their own job.
I’ve heard of this before and believe it’s legal in some states, yes.
My company charges a premium for my wife because she has a job.
Well glad to hear he’s not getting completely screwed, and that this is normal. I know a lot of couples who are dual covered, so this is new to me. The way I understood the law was that if an employee works full time, the company is required to offer them insurance. I did not know this was exempt if he was already covered through a spouse. Thanks for clarifying!
Seems a little different than what I’ve typically heard. Often, your coworker would pay a surcharge to cover his spouse *if* his spouse had coverage available. I’ve never heard of the employee themselves not being allowed in their own companies plan. Seems crappy to me but not impossible.
Well glad to hear he’s not getting completely screwed, and that this is normal. I know a lot of couples who are dual covered, so this is new to me. The way I understood the law was that if an employee works full time, the company is required to offer them insurance. I did not know this was exempt if he was already covered through a spouse. Thanks for clarifying!
Well glad to hear he’s not getting completely screwed, and that this is normal. I know a lot of couples who are dual covered, so this is new to me. The way I understood the law was that if an employee works full time, the company is required to offer them insurance. I did not know this was exempt if he was already covered through a spouse. Thanks for clarifying!
There is certainly a great deal to learn about this subject.
I love all the points you made.