Can I Get on My Boyfriend's Insurance If We Are Not Married?

Insurance companies may offer domestic partnership insurance coverage for their members. Increasingly, more employers are providing group coverage insurance plans that allow their employees to provide coverage for their domestic partners. Domestic partnership insurance plans may offer coverage for same-sex and heterosexual couples. Some states require that employers provide domestic partnership coverage.

Insurance Company Policies

• Insurance companies may choose whether to provide health insurance for couples that are not legally married. Traditionally, insurance companies denied family coverage to unmarried cohabitants. Now, more insurance companies provide insurance coverage to members and their domestic partners. Although some insurance companies provide domestic partnership coverage, they may deny coverage to heterosexual couples, reasoning that these couples have the option of getting legally married to provide significant others with coverage, while same-sex couples may not have that option.

Employment Laws

• Employers in the private sector have no legal obligation to provide their employees with health insurance coverage. However, some employers may provide coverage to their employees. When employers provide optional insurance coverage to their employees, they must follow their state's insurance and benefits laws.

State Laws

• In 2005, California became the first state to require employers to provide health coverage benefits to domestic partners if they provided benefits to spouses. With the passage of the California Insurance Equality Act, other states followed the state's lead and mandated that employers who provide spousal coverage also provide domestic partners with coverage. According to a comprehensive study conducted by the Council for Affordable Health Insurance, 16 jurisdictions mandate this type of coverage. The District of Columbia passed the Health Benefits Expansion Act of 1992 to allow unmarried individuals to register as domestic partners in the District. Both same-sex and opposite-sex couples may register for domestic partnership.

Exceptions

• The District of Columbia's law allows domestic partners to register for a domestic partnership in order to receive health insurance coverage. The law applies only to the District's public employees. Whether an individual can receive coverage through her opposite-sex partner depends on whether the state requires coverage or whether an insurance company optionally provides coverage. Although more jurisdictions are mandating domestic partnership coverage for employers that voluntarily offer spousal health insurance coverage, as mentioned above, some insurance carriers limit coverage to same-sex couples.

Considerations

• Since laws can frequently change, you should not use this information as a substitute for legal advice. Seek advice through an attorney licensed to practice law in your jurisdiction.