Can You Insure a Fiancee Under a Health Insurance Policy?

Most insurance companies offer coverage for your spouse if you are married. Getting insurance for a fiancee is a little trickier. It usually requires a little more time and research, and you may need to change providers to get the coverage you need. However, it is usually possible to get a policy that includes your future wife.

Domestic Partner Insurance

• Insuring your fiancee requires a specific type of insurance known as domestic partner insurance. This type of insurance recognizes the importance of your partnership, but it also clarifies that there is a legal difference between a fiancee and a spouse. With domestic partner insurance, you usually can get coverage for your fiancee even if your partner is of the same sex, since state regulations that may ban same-sex marriage don't ban a domestic partnership.

Finding a Provider

• Some insurance companies believe there is no point in offering domestic partner insurance because you and your fiancee can get the insurance you need by tying the knot and applying as spouses. For this reason, some insurance companies don't provide domestic partner insurance, and there is no legal requirement that they do so. You may need to shop around if your current provider doesn't give you this coverage option. This may affect your rates.

Conditions

• To get domestic partner insurance, you usually have to fit the legal definition of a domestic partner. This typically includes (but isn't limited to) having lived with your fiancee for at least six months, being at least 18, being registered on your local domestic partner registry (if available) and being responsible for each other financially. Documentation like a driver's license that shows your fiancee is at the same address as you may be necessary to show you've met these conditions. When you go to get the insurance, you probably will need to sign an affidavit of domestic partnership.

Getting the Insurance

• Getting insurance for your fiancee is not much different from getting it for your spouse. You can go to an insurance agent, who will help you fill out the necessary paperwork and explain what your premiums will cost. If you're getting the insurance through your job, you'll need to go through your human resources department. Either way, you should bring any documentation required by the insurance company or your employer that proves you have a domestic partnership. Your fiancee should come with you when you apply, since the agent or HR representative likely will need her to sign forms with you.

Considerations

• In some cases, such as if you have a long engagement or if you are a homosexual currently living in a state that prohibits same-sex marriages, domestic partner insurance can relieve unnecessary financial burdens and worry for you and your fiancee. However, if your engagement is relatively short or if you are heterosexual, domestic partner insurance may not be worth it. This is because many insurance companies require a minimum policy length of at least six months. A domestic partnership usually terminates automatically if you marry, so if you marry before your policy term ends, you may waste money on premiums, and you'll need to get a different policy anyway.