Health Insurance and Divorce:
Protecting Your Family During Change

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Divorce causes a rift in health insurance and makes partners question many options. Who will carry the children under the policy? If there are no children, how will one partner obtain a new insurance policy if he or she was once listed under the spouse’s policy? Keeping insurance up-to-date and not allowing a lapse is essential for all those involved. Even the spouse that will not be will the children full time, he or she still needs to remain covered because they will be part of the children’s lives.

First, list what benefits in your current coverage you see as necessary for each individual. Decide who will be in charge of covering any dependents involved. Are there any additional coverage or policies that will be necessary after the divorce? What about unnecessary coverage? For example, you probably won’t see maternity coverage as necessary if you will not be married any longer. If both parents work and you decide to keep both policies, who will remain the primary carrier? You should always write down your necessities and the coverage that will no longer be essential.

Next you will need to provide proof of divorce to an agent and other essential documents for starting a new policy if need be. These include the divorce decree (signed by judge) resolving the marriage, birth certificates, social security cards, etc. It is important to take all legal documents and your list of needs to your agent and ask for help in reassessing your current policy or starting a new one. If insurance is not immediately available to continue under one spouse’s policy, consider COBRA. COBRA is a policy many employers have available to cover interim periods between plans. It is often more expensive but well worth having if you have a pre-exiting condition or cannot have a lapse in coverage.

Essentially, planning the best for everyone involved is the solution to making change in insurance and in your lifestyles a smooth transaction. Keep everyone’s health in mind and consider all options before finding the appropriate plan with just the right amount of coverage.


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