Divorce can impact various aspects of your life—from your bank account to your retirement accounts. It can even impact your home, your property, and your real estate, especially if you share these assets with your former spouse. Another way divorce can impact your life is the way it can potentially affect your access to health care coverage. If your access to health care coverage is through your spouse’s work or through his or her health care plan, getting a divorce could impact your access to health care coverage.
How might divorce affect your access to health care, and what can you do to protect your rights and access as you navigate the divorce process? Every divorce case is unique. Not all divorcing individuals will find that their health care coverage is affected by divorce. If you are covered by your own workplace plan or by Medicare, you may be able to continue this coverage after your divorce. The Elliot Green Law Offices are divorce attorneys in Brooklyn, New York who can review your case, help you understand your rights, and assist you with the next steps.
Including Health Care Coverage in a Divorce Settlement
Depending on your situation, it may be possible to include health care coverage as part of your divorce settlement. If you and your children rely on a spouse’s health care plan, it may be possible to negotiate staying on this plan with your former partner. However, if you are the partner with health care coverage, it is also important to keep in mind that you may have to pay additional money to keep your former partner and children on your plan. Whether this is a viable option will depend on the health insurance plan your family currently uses, the options available under this plan, and your financial resources.
According to WebMD, another option you might have is to pay for health insurance yourself through COBRA. Under COBRA, if your former partner gets his or her health insurance through work, you may be able to stay on this plan by paying for the plan yourself. You’ll want to research how much the plan will cost, because without your spouse’s employer subsidizing these plans, this insurance can get quite costly. Some individuals factor these costs into a divorce settlement when drafting one. COBRA may provide you and your children up to 36 months of coverage, if you qualify. If you need COBRA coverage, you may only have a limited amount of time from the date of your divorce to opt in.
Other options include the health insurance marketplace, health insurance through your current employer, Medicaid, Medicare, or other health insurance plans. Your access to these plans will depend on your financial situation, your needs, and your resources. Determining you and your family’s continued health care coverage after a divorce can seem overwhelming, but there may be a range of options available to you and your children.
When navigating a divorce settlement, many factors may need to be considered. For example, you may need to think about child support, alimony, and division of property and assets. When making these decisions, the value of health care coverage can sometimes play a role. For example, sometimes individuals may accept less in alimony in exchange for continued coverage under a spouse’s health insurance plan. If your children have special health needs or if you have special health needs, these may need to be considered as you navigate your divorce settlement and child support amounts. The Elliot Green Law Offices are divorce lawyers in Brooklyn, New York who work closely with divorcing individuals who have questions about how their divorce might impact their access to continued health care coverage. Our firm can help you take steps to protect yourself as you navigate your divorce.
Worried About How Divorce Will Impact Your Health Coverage in Brooklyn, New York?
When getting divorced, especially if you are getting divorced later in life, it is important to plan ahead. Divorce can impact many aspects of your life, including your health care coverage—if you rely on your coverage through your spouse or through your spouse’s work. However, not all divorcing individuals might find their health insurance impacted by divorce. For example, if you are already self-insured, if you get insurance through your job, or if you have access to other forms of health insurance like Medicaid or Medicare, your divorce may not impact your access to health coverage. However, every divorce situation is unique. If you might lose your health insurance coverage due to your divorce, planning ahead is important. Have questions? Need help navigating various practical aspects of your divorce? The Elliot Green Law Offices are divorce attorneys in Brooklyn, New York who may be able to help you. Contact us today to learn more, or reach out to USAttorneys.com to get connected with the divorce lawyers at the Elliot Green Law Offices today.
