Removing a family member from insurance
Whenever a family member loses eligibility to participate in UC-sponsored plans, it is your responsibility to disenroll that family member. If you don't, you are liable for any excess UC costs and plan expenses the ineligible family member incurs.
Family members become ineligible for UC-sponsored benefits through divorce, the end of a domestic partnership, death or when children become too old, generally at age 26. Here's what you need to do to disenroll a family member.
Review the eligibility rules for family members.
Your spouse or domestic partner's eligibility ends on the last day of the month you finalize the divorce, separation, annulment or termination of the domestic partnership.
If you are required by legal decree to maintain health coverage and/or life insurance for your family member, you must make private arrangements for such coverage. You may not keep your ineligible family member on your UC plans. However, your family member may be able to continue group coverage, at his or her expense, through COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985).
Your child or grandchild's eligibility stops at the end of the month in which he or she reaches age 26 (unless eligible to continue coverage because of disability) or age 18 for legal wards.
Complete the process to disenroll your family member.
Employees: disenroll your family member from benefits through your online UCPath account.
Retirees: complete the UBEN100 enrollment form and submit it to the Retirement Administration Service Center.
Consider continuing benefits through COBRA or other means.
Divorce, legal separation, annulment, termination of domestic partnership and a child's loss of eligibility are all COBRA qualifying events. In order for these individuals to apply for COBRA Continuation, you or they must submit form UBEN 109, Notice to UC of a COBRA Qualifying Event, within 60 days of the date of the qualifying event or the date coverage is lost, whichever is later. The University makes no contribution to this coverage.
You can read more about COBRA continuation privileges here.
Your family member may also want to consider enrolling in medical insurance through the health care marketplace. In California, visit the Covered California website.