Hi everyone. I’m a first time poster hoping for some advice on this tricky situation we’re in. A little background:
I work for a tech company that was acquired in March of last year by a mid-size company based in a different country. My wife and I elected new benefits (through the new company’s selected HR solutions provider for US employees) as part of the acquisition. All of us employees thought these benefits would run through the end of the calendar year as our benefits had previously, but it turns out that while the deductibles run from 1/1 – 12/31 each year, open enrollment is not at the end of the calendar year, but in March. Now that’s fine, but we selected the plan we did knowing that we would not have a baby in 2020, but planning to have one in 2021.
The baby is going to be born on 3/3 (scheduled c-section). We have already had one child at this hospital via c-section, and last time the charges totaled $67k before insurance. My wife is a public school teacher, and their benefits are much more mother/baby friendly. When we had our first child, she had insurance through her employer, and the cost to us after insurance was $1k. Having a baby on my employer’s insurance plan would cost us $15k after insurance
Luckily, we can change plans due to a special enrollment period triggered by the birth of the baby and have all that care covered retroactively to the date of the baby’s birth). Although we both currently have insurance through my employer, switching her insurance (and the newborn’s insurance) to her employer when the baby is born would save us $14k, which is obviously a big deal.
Now for the tricky part:
As fate would have it, my open enrollment is happening now, with the last day to select benefits (and also the new plan effective date) on 3/7. Because it’s a planned c-section with 4 days of required hospital stay afterward, my wife and newborn will be in the hospital from 3/3 – 3/6.
My question is this:
Can we have my wife (and the newborn) start on her employer-provided insurance on 3/3, be covered for 3/3 – 3/6, then leave that insurance on 3/7 and come back onto my employer’s family plan with me and our other daughter? (My wife would still be covered on my family plan during that time, but as for Coordination of Benefits I believe my insurance would be primary and hers would be secondary, due to the birthday rule, as my birthday falls earlier in the year than my wife’s).
Does anyone have any experience with this kind of short-term switch in insurance plans? Is this something that is an option for us?
submitted by /u/ZieglersSpaldeen
[link] [comments]
Hi everyone. I’m a first time poster hoping for some advice on this tricky situation we’re in. A little background: I work for a tech company that was acquired in March of last year by a mid-size company based in a different country. My wife and I elected new benefits (through the new company’s selected HR solutions provider for US employees) as part of the acquisition. All of us employees thought these benefits would run through the end of the calendar year as our benefits had previously, but it turns out that while the deductibles run from 1/1 – 12/31 each year, open enrollment is not at the end of the calendar year, but in March. Now that’s fine, but we selected the plan we did knowing that we would not have a baby in 2020, but planning to have one in 2021. The baby is going to be born on 3/3 (scheduled c-section). We have already had one child at this hospital via c-section, and last time the charges totaled $67k before insurance. My wife is a public school teacher, and their benefits are much more mother/baby friendly. When we had our first child, she had insurance through her employer, and the cost to us after insurance was $1k. Having a baby on my employer’s insurance plan would cost us $15k after insurance Luckily, we can change plans due to a special enrollment period triggered by the birth of the baby and have all that care covered retroactively to the date of the baby’s birth). Although we both currently have insurance through my employer, switching her insurance (and the newborn’s insurance) to her employer when the baby is born would save us $14k, which is obviously a big deal. Now for the tricky part: As fate would have it, my open enrollment is happening now, with the last day to select benefits (and also the new plan effective date) on 3/7. Because it’s a planned c-section with 4 days of required hospital stay afterward, my wife and newborn will be in the hospital from 3/3 – 3/6. My question is this: Can we have my wife (and the newborn) start on her employer-provided insurance on 3/3, be covered for 3/3 – 3/6, then leave that insurance on 3/7 and come back onto my employer’s family plan with me and our other daughter? (My wife would still be covered on my family plan during that time, but as for Coordination of Benefits I believe my insurance would be primary and hers would be secondary, due to the birthday rule, as my birthday falls earlier in the year than my wife’s). Does anyone have any experience with this kind of short-term switch in insurance plans? Is this something that is an option for us?
submitted by /u/ZieglersSpaldeen [link] [comments]Read Morer/HealthInsurance