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? 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 should 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 editorial integrity, so our recommendations are unbiased and are based on a comprehensive list of criteria. 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 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 How to add a spouse to your health insurance plan 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 Get instant quotes now ! Please enter valid zip Get Quotes