Spousal Surcharge – Is this B.S. or am I behind on industry standards?

We just received a company-wide email communication regarding our upcoming open enrollment period, highlighting some changes to our employer health plan, which I have excerpted for to a section about spousal coverage changes.

Context: I work for a small company (~50 employees) and our insurance is provided through a parent organization, which includes several other small-to-medium sized businesses. I'm not sure what the overall employee population is, but I think it's in the hundreds, not thousands. We are located in the midwest.

Is this a new trend? I'm fighting the urge to feel personally attacked by our billionaire owner.

Benefit Changes for 2025 for Spousal Coverage

Spousal Surcharge

Starting in 2025, if you choose to enroll your spouse in the Peoplefirst health plan when they have access to health insurance through their own employer, a spousal surcharge of $100 per month will be added to your health insurance payroll deduction.

There is no surcharge if your spouse doesn’t work or lacks access to employer-sponsored medical coverage. This does not apply to dental or vision coverage. You will be required to complete a Spousal Surcharge Acknowledgement in Workday during the Open Enrollment Process.

Available Options if you cover a spouse with access to employer-sponsored health insurance:

Keep your spouse on our plan, incurring the $100 per month surcharge. Move your spouse to their employer sponsored plan and switch to Associate Only (or Associate + Children, if applicable) coverage. Transition both yourself and your spouse (and your children if applicable) to their employer sponsored plan. submitted by /u/Almoagnadna
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