How to Find Family Health Insurance

Family health insurance is designed to cover all members of your immediate family. A plan should cover adults and all children up to a certain age, such as 26. When purchasing family coverage, investigate carefully. A plan should be affordable, offer child-specific options and provide coverage for all family members in the event of a serious illness.

Instructions

• 1

  Research family health insurance plans offered through your employer. Many employers offer employees a family coverage option. Family health insurance costs more than coverage for a single person. However, the family plan usually costs far less than insuring each member of the family individually. If you and your spouse are employed, you may have multiple options for coverage. Find out from your employer exactly what is covered by each plan and what is not. One employer may offer far better coverage. Your supervisor can refer you to the proper person to speak to about getting health insurance.

• 2

  Determine exactly who is covered under the family plans being offered. The plan should spell this out in detail. If you are gay and have a same-sex partner or if you and your partner are not married, you may still qualify for family coverage. If you have stepchildren or are not the primary custodial parent, you will need to find out if the family health insurance plan would still cover the children. Custodial agreements often require one parent to agree to provide health insurance. Find out if you can add your children to the plan immediately after a divorce or other change in child-care arrangements.

• 3

  Investigate state or federally subsidized health insurance plans. If you meet certain income guidelines, the state will insure your children even if your employer does not offer coverage. You can also opt for single-person insurance to reduce expenses and still make sure that your children have health insurance.

• 4

  Look out for any limits to the family health insurance plan being offered. An older child who is not attending college but has graduated from high school might be excluded from coverage, for example. Children may be excluded from coverage if they are not legal citizens. An employer may ask you to investigate any medical insurance coverage that your spouse has as well.

• 5

  Obtain all coverage provisions in writing. After you've found several family health insurance plans, you can start to compare them. Investigate additional costs such as co-pays and deductibles as well as any costs for prescription drugs. Family members may have a preference for certain pediatricians and medical facilities. Find out which doctors are in the insurer's network and which ones are considered out of network. If you work in one state and live in another, you may find fewer in-network doctors in your area.