What are Your Health Insurance Options for Your New Family?

Although having a baby is an exciting milestone in life, it will bring about many changes. Along with the bigger life changes that come along with having a new baby, you now have to make other important decisions as well. One of these decisions you will face is choosing a new health insurance for your growing family. 

Health insurance is a key aspect in staying healthy and helping from illnesses getting worse. Having sufficient insurance will give you access to essential services and help you avoid high medical costs if you or your family need care. Generally, having a baby or adopting a child is a qualifying life event for a special enrollment period for any coverage you have. This means that you can enroll in or change coverage even if it’s outside the official open enrollment period (which was November 1, 2023 – January 15, 2024, for 2024 Marketplace coverage). When you enroll in the new plan, your coverage becomes effective from the day your baby is born.

So what are your health insurance options? We’ve outlined some of them below to ensure your new addition, as well as the rest of the family, is covered.

If you already have a plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace, you can do one of two things when your baby is born. You can keep your current plan and add your child to your coverage or you can change to a different Marketplace plan that better suits your new family. Either way, make sure to update the Marketplace when you have your baby. 

If you receive assistance to pay for your monthly premium, it could change with the additional household member. Also, please keep in mind that special enrollment periods are limited to 60 days after your qualifying life event.

If you have a private health plan, the services provided before and after your child is born are considered essential health benefits, meaning all qualified health plans inside and outside the Marketplace must cover them. Update your status with your employer or insurance carrier to ensure your new family member is covered. 

Special Enrollment Periods are limited to 60 days after your qualifying life event for private health insurance as well.Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are also an option. You can apply for Medicaid or CHIP any time during the year in two ways: directly through your state Medicaid agency or by filling out a Marketplace application.