Health Insurance Can I opt out of my union health insurance plan if I am covered by my wife’s health insurance plan? By Penny Gusner Penny Gusner Penny is an expert on insurance procedures, rates, policies and claims. She has extensive knowledge of all major insurance lines -- auto, homeowners, life and health insurance. She has been answering consumers’ questions as an analyst for more than 15 years and has been featured in numerous major media outlets, including the Washington Post and Kiplinger’s. | Posted on March 4, 2015 Why you can trust Insure.com Quality Verified At Insure.com, we are committed to providing honest and reliable information so that you can make the best financial decisions for you and your family. All of our content is written and reviewed by industry professionals and insurance experts. We maintain strict editorial independence from insurance companies to maintain our editorial integrity, so our recommendations are unbiased and are based on a comprehensive list of criteria. While most people cannot be forced to take their employer’s health insurance plan, there are exceptions. One such exception is if your union contract locks you into the health plan. If your union agreement mandates you participate in the company’s group health insurance, you’re stuck with it and can’t opt out to join your wife’s health plan. You can contact your benefits administrator at work to see if your union contract allows you to opt out of the group health insurance plan or not. If you can decline the health insurance coverage, you will need to find out when you can drop it and when your wife can add you to her health insurance plan. Typically, one only can change health insurance plans (drop or add coverage) during the annual open enrollment period or due to special life events — like marriage. So, even if you can opt out, you may need to wait until the next open enrollment period for you and your wife to make the changes. Penny GusnerContributor . .Penny is an expert on insurance procedures, rates, policies and claims. She has extensive knowledge of all major insurance lines -- auto, homeowners, life and health insurance. She has been answering consumers’ questions as an analyst for more than 15 years and has been featured in numerous major media outlets, including the Washington Post and Kiplinger’s. Related Articles When does health insurance expire after leaving your job? By Casey Bond If both spouses have health insurance which is primary? By Prachi Singh Can I drop my spouse from my health insurance at any time? By Nupur Gambhir How long does it take to add spouse to health insurance? By Huma Naeem Does my deductible start over if I change jobs? By Shivani Gite When does health insurance start at a new job? By Shivani Gite