[USER]

Open enrollment question. My wife and I work at the same company. I’m 26 and she’s 23, no kids, healthy, we have access to a free on campus doctor’s office and heavily subsidized pharmacy if we choose the PPO plan.

The plan is $138 each a month ($276) with a $500 deductible if we get separate coverage or $293 a month with a $1500 deductible if we get on the same employee + spouse plan.

Am I missing something?

It seems like the obvious choice is to get separate plans and save $17 a month plus have a lower deductible for each of us.

[Andrea]

You’re not missing anything. Spouses seem to always be expensive to add to a plan.

Adding four kids to my husband’s insurance actually cost us less than adding the wife (me).

[Katie]

You’re not missing anything. Employees are usually subsidized more than spouses, so two employees are less than employee + spouse.

I did this same thing in the past when I worked at my the same company as my spouse.

[Kristy]

Yep, I’ve done this in the past as well. It was cheaper for my husband (at the same work) to get the family plan for him + kids, and then I got an individual plan.

The only downside to this (if you are going to have kids) is that it takes a bit more to switch a new baby onto the dad’s plan after birth, since they automatically go under mom.

[Nicole]

They don’t want to subsidize a spouse if they don’t work for the company.

[Teresa]

Get separate coverage until you have children where you must have a family plan.

[Author]

Posts