Is it possible to be added to my unmarried partner’s health plan? (Massachusetts)
I recently got laid off from my job. I’m hoping to get a new job soon but I want to be prepared for the reality that it generally takes ~6 months to find a new job after being laid off.
My options after my health insurance coverage ends in a few weeks are:
COBRA — Haven’t gotten the exact cost yet but expect it to be 💸💸💸 for the mediocre plan that I had.
Mass Health — Don’t know anything about and would love any overviews or advice navigating.
Nothing — Don’t want to risk this. Plus, I will have made enough money in 2022 prior to the layoff that I’ll have to pay for not having coverage for the full year on my 2022 Massachusetts state taxes.
However, a few of my friends have mentioned that I might be able to get on my fiance’s BCBS MA health insurance. Has anyone ever heard of this or had experience with this in MA? Is it even worth it compared to Mass Health options?
We’ve been living together in MA since 2017. We’ve been engaged for a year and are getting married this summer (2023). However, my understanding is that MA doesn’t recognize common law marriage, so none of that matters.
I’ve gotten mixed results Googling. Some results made me think that until we have a marriage certificate, I’m not his spouse so definitely can’t be added. Other results made me think that it is completely at the discretion of the insurance company (BCBS MA in this case). Still other seemed to indicate that we could get a domestic partnership (which I guess we would dissolve before the wedding?) specifically so I could be a spouse?
