Health Insurance I currently have health insurance through my employer that covers my family. If my wife were to get a job with health insurance coverage, would my plan still be my primary insurance due to the birthday rule? Written 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: September 8, 2014 Why you can trust Insure.com Quality Verified At Insure.com, we are committed to providing the timely, accurate and expert information consumers need to make smart insurance decisions. All our content is written and reviewed by industry professionals and insurance experts. Our team carefully vets our rate data to ensure we only provide reliable and up-to-date insurance pricing. We follow the highest editorial standards. Our content is based solely on objective research and data gathering. We maintain strict editorial independence to ensure unbiased coverage of the insurance industry. Your health insurance would be primary to you, but not because of the birthday rule. The “birthday rule” applies to children and coordinates coverage for children who are listed on two parents’ group health insurance plans. It does not apply to spouses that are on each other’s health insurance job-based plans. The birthday rule says that the health plan of the parent whose birthday is first in the calendar year is primary coverage for the children, and the plan of the parent with the later birthday is be secondary. The birthday rule goes by month and day, not year. So if you were born in June 5, 1975 and your wife was born in Jan. 8, 1977, her health insurance would be considered primary for your children. But in your case, the health plan from your workplace would be primary to you, and your wife’s job-based health plan would primary to her. If you are listed on each other’s health plans, then that coverage would be secondary for each of you. There are pros and cons to having two health insurance plans, so look over the costs and benefits before paying for double coverage. 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 How to add a spouse to your health insurance plan By Huma Naeem Can I drop my spouse from my health insurance at any time? By Nupur Gambhir Can you get health insurance if you retire at 62? By Shivani Gite How COBRA works if you move out of state By Barry Eitel Can my parents kick me off their health insurance By Shivani Gite Does my deductible start over if I change jobs? By Shivani Gite ZIP Code Please enter valid ZIP See rates