WILMINGTON, NC, April 23, 2012 (Press-News.org) When considering divorce, one of many questions that will need to be answered is, "Will I lose my healthcare coverage and, if I do lose it, what are my options?" There are many options to consider; your divorce attorney can explain what's available to you based on your situation.
Employer-Provided Plans
For spouses that maintain coverage under their own employer-provided health care plans, there may be little change upon divorce. If there are children of the marriage, one piece of the child support puzzle will be determining who should maintain health insurance for the kids. The extra cost of insurance for the children can then be factored into how much should be paid each month in child support.
If you are working but had previously declined health insurance coverage under your employer's plan because you were covered under your spouse's plan, divorce is typically considered a major life event that will qualify you to change your insurance coverage. Many companies require employees to enroll in a group health insurance plan within a certain time from the date of hire or during designated annual enrollment periods. Divorce should get you around these specific timeframes for choosing insurance coverage and allow you to continue under your employer's, rather than your spouse's, insurance plan.
Maintaining Benefits Under A Spouse's Plan After Divorce - COBRA Benefits
Once a divorce is finalized, your eligibility for health insurance coverage under your spouse's plan typically ends unless you elect continuing coverage under COBRA. The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) allows an ex-spouse to maintain health care coverage under a former spouse's employer's plan for up to 36 months after divorce. COBRA requirements apply to companies with 20 or more employees.
Your spouse must notify his or her employer of the divorce in order to change the health insurance coverage that was previously elected. Once notified, your spouse's employer must notify you of your right to elect COBRA continuation coverage. You have 60 days to determine whether you want to continue coverage under COBRA or decline it. Health care for children of the marriage should not be affected by a divorce; the working parent should be able to continue or elect coverage under an employer's plan that includes coverage for the children.
Paying For COBRA Coverage After Divorce - Support Or Alimony
The cost of COBRA coverage will likely be more than what was paid during the marriage. Even though COBRA requires companies to offer this coverage to former spouses of employees, it is not required to subsidize the premiums. An employer can charge up to 102 percent of the plan costs for COBRA continuation coverage. The change in health care costs is another issue that your divorce attorney can discuss with you, including whether or not spousal support or alimony should be requested to help cover the additional costs of COBRA coverage.
In order to qualify for post-separation support or alimony in North Carolina, you must be considered a dependent of your spouse. Not all divorcing couples will have the option of requesting alimony because of the eligibility criteria. To be considered a dependent of your spouse, your own income and resources must be inadequate to meet your reasonable needs and your spouse must have the ability to pay support. Your current income, your ability to earn an income, your current standard of living and any existing debt are all factors that are considered when determining dependency.
Questions About Continuing Health Care Coverage After Divorce?
After divorce, many pieces of your life will change. But, health care coverage doesn't have to be one of them. A divorce attorney in your area can help you choose what option is best for you: an employee-sponsored plan from your own employer, COBRA continuation coverage under your ex-spouse's plan or some other option.
Attorney Ashley Oldham of Roberts Law Group, PLLC focuses her practice on the representation of individuals who are dealing with complex family law issues, including divorce, child custody, equitable distribution and child support. Visit our website at http://www.robertsfamilylawteam.com to learn more.
Roberts Law Group, PLLC
203 W. Millbrook Road
Raleigh NC 27609
Roberts Law Group, PLLC
5725 Oleander Drive
Suite D-4
Wilmington NC 28403
Top Three Things to Know About Health Insurance During and After Divorce
When considering divorce, one of many questions that will need to be answered is, "Will I lose my healthcare coverage and, if I do lose it, what are my options?" There are many options to consider.
2012-04-23
[Attachments] See images for this press release:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
U of I study: Soy protein alleviates symptoms of fatty liver disease
2012-04-23
URBANA – University of Illinois scientists report that soy protein may significantly reduce fat accumulation and triglycerides in the livers of obese persons. And they've discovered why it happens: soy restores partial function of that organ's key signaling pathway.
"Almost a third of American adults have fatty liver disease, many of them without symptoms. Obesity is a key risk factor for this condition, which can lead to liver failure," said Hong Chen, a U of I assistant professor of food science and human nutrition.
Fat is metabolized in the liver, and in obese persons, ...
Specific protein triggers changes in neurons in brain reward center linked to cocaine addiction
2012-04-23
New research from Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York reveals that repeated exposure to cocaine decreases the activity of a protein necessary for normal functioning of the brain's reward system, thus enhancing the reward for cocaine use, which leads to addiction. Investigators were also able to block the ability of repeated cocaine exposure, to induce addiction. The findings, published online April 22 in the journal Nature Neuroscience, provide the first evidence of how cocaine changes the shape and size of neuron rewards in a mouse model.
Repeated exposure to cocaine ...
A new diagnosis for Frida Kahlo's infertility
2012-04-23
SAN DIEGO, April 22, 2012 –Frida Kahlo's many haunting self-portraits have been studied by experts for decades, have attracted worldwide attention and have sold for millions of dollars at auction. Yet, despite the fact that Kahlo's work focuses largely on anatomy and failed reproduction attempts, relatively little attention has been paid to Kahlo's own body and infertility.
Intrigued by the messages manifested in Kahlo's work and surprised by the apparent lack of interest by scientists in Kahlo's clinical condition, Fernando Antelo, a surgical pathologist at the Harbor ...
Hispanic lung cancer patients tend to live longer than blacks and whites
2012-04-23
A new analysis has found that Hispanic lung cancer patients seem to live longer than white or black patients. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study suggests that, as with several other types of cancer, certain yet-to-be-defined genetic and/or environmental factors put Hispanic patients at a survival advantage.
Most studies that look at ethnic and racial disparities in lung cancer compare black patients with whites. To see how Hispanics compare with other ethnicities with regards to survival after a lung cancer ...
Divorce Rate on the Rise for Older Couples
2012-04-23
While the divorce rate has declined in the last twenty years for most people, for those over the age of 50 it has seen an increase. This phenomenon is called "gray divorce." The divorce rate for this group has actually doubled during the past few years. As recently as 2009, one out of every four people getting a divorce was over the age of 50. Whereas many older couples in the past outlasted difficulties in a marriage which would eventually end in the death of a spouse, now these couples are divorcing.
The reasons for divorce among older populations are not ...
Ways to Get Fast Money Without Good Credit in Today's Economy
2012-04-23
If money is power, how much power has the average American lost due to unemployment, failing investment portfolios, or decreased business profit margins? If the Buffet Rule that President Obama is proposing passes, even those so-called American millionaires will see the power of their own money biting them in the asset as well!
In addition to a decrease in income, a large percentage of those living in the United States are experiencing additional negative financial circumstances. Gas prices are persistently reaching record highs (and expected to continually increase). ...
Rare Earth Prices Will Continue Decline, Says TRU Rare Earth Consultants: but the Price Outlook Still Shows High Risk Factor for Developing Western REE Projects
2012-04-23
Rare earth metals consultants TRU Group says that recent attempts by Chinese suppliers to halt the six-month old steep decline in REE prices is likely to fail even though the latest February export data for rare earth oxides prices strengthened to US$144,000 per t-REO up significantly over the January figure. Export price levels in 2012 are still more than three times the average for 2010, before the crisis in supply began when China unexpectedly restricted exports. (See accompanying chart). China supplies over ninety per cent of global rare earths and sets REE prices.
"Predicting ...
BLACOH Announces New Customer Focus Team
2012-04-21
BLACOH Fluid Control, Inc., a leader in industrial fluid control products, recently announced additions to their Customer Focus Team as part of their continued expansion in both US and global markets. BLACOH President Andrew Yeghnazar stressed the company's commitment to service and support saying, "Customer focus has always been at the heart of what we do. As we continue to grow, our commitment to ensure each and every customer receives the same exceptional care will not waiver." In recent months, BLACOH has followed an aggressive growth strategy with expanded ...
Raleigh Call Center Seeking to Fill 400 Jobs
2012-04-21
Greene Resources, an employment solutions company headquartered in Raleigh, has announced two open house events to help a local call center fill 400 full- and part-time telephone interviewer positions that will start in May. The open houses will be held from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. on April 24 and May 1 at the Hilton North Raleigh, located at 3415 Wake Forest Road.
The positions will involve conducting telephone interviews - with no sales involved - to obtain critical research data from survey participants for one of the top research institutions in the world. While a majority ...
Accredited Online Universities: IUNA Invites Working Professionals To Register for Summer Term and Advance Their Career Goals
2012-04-21
The International University of North America (IUNA) just opened registration for its first summer term of distance learning MBA and MS courses, which begin April 30, 2012 at http://www.IUNA.com. Serving working professionals and executives, IUNA is additionally promoting its new Academic Achievement Scholarship program and free online masters degree webinars explaining the admission requirements for American universities.
"IUNA stands out among online MBA programs for our student-focused methodology, top-tier faculty, and engaging, career-centric coursework. As ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Thousands of European citizen scientists helped identify shifts in the floral traits of insect-pollinated plants
By the numbers: Diarylethene crystal orientation controlled for 1st time
HKU physicists pioneer entanglement microscopy algorithm to explore how matter entangles in quantum many-body systems
Solving the evolutionary puzzle of polyploidy: how genome duplication shapes adaptation
Smoking opioids is associated with lower mortality than injecting but is still high-risk
WPIA: Accelerating DNN warm-up in web browsers by precompiling WebGL programs
First evidence of olaparib maintenance therapy in patients with newly diagnosed homologous recombination deficient positive/BRCA wild-type ovarian cancer: real-world multicenter study
Camel milk udderly good alterative to traditional dairy
New, embodied AI reveals how robots and toddlers learn to understand
Game, set, match: Exploring the experiences of women coaches in tennis
Significant rise in mental health admissions for young people in last decade
Prehab shows promise in improving health, reducing complications after surgery
Exercise and improved diet before surgery linked to fewer complications and enhanced recovery
SGLT-2 drug plus moderate calorie restriction achieves higher diabetes remission
Could the Summerville ghost lantern be an earthquake light?
Will the U.S. have enough pain specialists?
Stronger stress response in monkeys helps them survive
Using infrared heat transfer to modify chemical reactions
Being a ladies' man comes at a price for alpha male baboons
Study shows anti-clotting drug reduced bleeding events in patients with atrial fibrillation
UMaine-led team develops more holistic way to monitor lobster industry
Antiviral protein causes genetic changes implicated in Huntington’s disease progression
SwRI-led PUNCH spacecraft make final pit stop before launch
Claims for the world’s deepest earthquake challenged by new analysis
MSU study finds children of color experience more variability in sleep times
Pregnancy may increase risk of mental illness in people with MS
Multiple sclerosis linked to higher risk of mental illness during and after pregnancy
Beyond ChatGPT: WVU researchers to study use and ethics of artificial intelligence across disciplines
Ultrasensitive test detects, serially monitors intact virus levels in patients with COVID-19
mRNA-activated blood clots could cushion the blow of osteoarthritis
[Press-News.org] Top Three Things to Know About Health Insurance During and After DivorceWhen considering divorce, one of many questions that will need to be answered is, "Will I lose my healthcare coverage and, if I do lose it, what are my options?" There are many options to consider.