Getting on my husbands health insurance

[MrsCat 6]

Here goes, I am sure I am not the first person:

So Chris approached his HR person to add me to his health insurance. She asked when we got married - July 3, 2007. She said - sorry time has passed to add her since the "life changing event" clause only allows you 60 days to add a new spouse.

According to her, he only has two options to add me:

1) Wait till January 1, 2009 when his insurance clause allows for changes, or

2) Use a clause 1M which states that if a spouse loses their insurance coverage you can add them.

So she said, if you want her to have coverage when she arrives, you need a letter from her Canadian coverage saying that she no longer has coverage. I am pretty sure that Alberta Health Care doesn't write these. I was thinking that I could get a letter from Alberta Blue Cross that I no longer have coverage - but I'm not sure that I'll be able to get that before I leave since I am covered through work until September 30, 2008.

Has anyone had luck in getting a letter from their province that they no longer have coverage?

[Sprailenes 47]

Do they realize that Canadian health care isn't filled with as much bureaucracy as American?

I don't even know where'd I'd begin with that. I guess call blue cross and let them know you are leaving and tell them what you need.

[MrsCat 6]

Do they realize that Canadian health care isn't filled with as much bureaucracy as American?

I don't even know where'd I'd begin with that. I guess call blue cross and let them know you are leaving and tell them what you need.

Yeah, I tried that, I might have to go in person, since the lady on the phone was super confused. Heck, I was confused.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

I needed a letter from my previous health insurance in Canada verifying that I did have coverage prior to applying for inclusion on my husband's insurance. I contacted my provider (through my employer) and on letter head they sent a statement verifying the dates I started to receive coverage to the date my coverage ended. It also included some of the details of the coverage. You might want to request that from Blue Cross. Since I was also covered through OHIP (Ontario Provincial plan) I included information from the OHIP website showing that all residents of Ontario are covered once they satisfy residency requirements and included a photocopy of my Provincial health card. You could possibly do the same for your Alberta coverage and find somewhere on the website that states leaving Alberta permanently means you no longer have Provincial coverage. Those actions should work. Good luck.

[MrsCat 6]

I needed a letter from my previous health insurance in Canada verifying that I did have coverage prior to applying for inclusion on my husband's insurance. I contacted my provider (through my employer) and on letter head they sent a statement verifying the dates I started to receive coverage to the date my coverage ended. It also included some of the details of the coverage. You might want to request that from Blue Cross. Since I was also covered through OHIP (Ontario Provincial plan) I included information from the OHIP website showing that all residents of Ontario are covered once they satisfy residency requirements and included a photocopy of my Provincial health card. You could possibly do the same for your Alberta coverage and find somewhere on the website that states leaving Alberta permanently means you no longer have Provincial coverage. Those actions should work. Good luck.

I think starting with Blue Cross is a good start.

Problem with Alberta Health care is that when leaving the province we are assured to have coverage for 3 months so that we can have time to get alternate coverage. However, this is meant to cover you when you move to another province, not another country.

However, as I will have given up my residency in Alberta, perhaps I can just print off that portion of the website?

Thanks, Kathryn - you're getting me in the right direction.

[Carlawarla 1]

SonoranSongbird just had a similar thread and I believe she had to have the same letter to cover some type of "exemption" with her health insurance. She was going to contact Alberta Health I believe. You might want to PM her to ask what she requested or got.

[MrsCat 6]

SonoranSongbird just had a similar thread and I believe she had to have the same letter to cover some type of "exemption" with her health insurance. She was going to contact Alberta Health I believe. You might want to PM her to ask what she requested or got.

Thanks Carla! Will do!

[SonoranSongbird 3]

Oh, okay, now I see why they are doing this. He has a benefits choice period, and getting married is an exception to being able to make a change outside of that period. I am on a crappy health insurance plan that I really want to switch because I never get off my butt and figure out what I want to switch to during our benefits choice period. Yes, it is incredibly stupid that they do that, especially considering you were not able to live together as husband and wife until now.

I PMd you a link to my other thread, but it is probably redundant since Kathryn already answered here. We ended up not doing anything about it because the prescription plan is separate from the health plan and does not have a 6-month preexisting condition exclusion (which is all that mattered for us). So I don't know that I could recommend anything other than what's already been suggested.

The only other thing is if for some reason nothing works and they do not let you onto his plan until January, my husband was pretty happy with the temporary health insurance plan he got through 7 Corners. You can get coverage through them I believe for anywhere from 30 days to five months (it may be three months--but that would still cover you October 1 through December 31). They charged less per month than we are paying for him to be on my crappy plan, but if his employer pays any of the premium for the first dependant (as mine does not, the weasels), that would be different for you. Proviso---we did not have to make a claim on it and only had it for a month. In terms of setting it up quickly and looking at their terms and conditions, though, he was happy with them.

[SonoranSongbird 3]

Okay, I am not sure if this will work but what about something from Alberta Health Care's web page showing you are not elgible to continue coverage once leaving the country coupled with something showing when you got the visa? A letter from the Alberta Blue Cross stating your coverage will end on September 30 actually sounds like it should be enough to do the trick even if that is all you have. Of course "should" and "will" are not the same thing. They may not understand that you've been married for over a year but are only just now moving to join him.

[MrsCat 6]

You guys are just the best! Thanks for the advice and help.

[MrsCat 6]

Update on the Insurance Front: per Kathryn's advice, I scoured the Alberta Healthcare website, and found a page which says who is eligible for AHC coverage.

Which states that an alberta resident is eligible if: "Not claiming residency or obtaining benefits under a claim of residency in another province, territory or country".

So I sent this link to hubby, who then forwarded it to his HR person to see whether this would suffice as proof of no longer having coverage. She just called and said this was fine - and she would complete the paperwork to have me added.

Yeah! Things are coming together.

Thanks again for the advice Kathryn & Sonoran.

Edited September 10, 2008 by cattattude

[k34 0]

This is very good info to know! Thanks for posting it!

I had kinda wondered about that... I know that he even had a hard time getting his employer's insurance to cover him after he was divorced (he was on his ex's insurance because it was better).

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Great news, Cattatude. Glad I was able to help.