Is there any reason i should wait until after my name is legally changed to be added to my husband's insurance?

I was added to my husband's insurance as soon as we got married and then changed my name after that. To change my name with the insurance, all I had to do was send them a scanned image of the marriage license and my new driver's license. It wasn't an issue at all. Outside of open enrollment, getting married is considered a "life changing event" that allows for insurance to be changed outside of the enrollment period, and there is often like a 30 day window or so that you are able to make that change, so the sooner you are added, the better. Updating your name after the fact is a much smaller hassle.

Yes I believe you can add yourself to his insurance with proof of a marriage license. So all you need is that!

Marriage certificate **

It’s important to have a photo ID that matches your name on your insurance, but you can do it either way— sign up with your maiden name and update it once you have formally changed your name OR wait and file the insurance paperwork after name change. The first one is just a bit more of a headache (maybe look into what the insurance name change procedure is).



Also for what it’s worth, we got married end of August and I had my name change sorted by October and signed up for husband’s insurance then….but the coverage was retroactive since the wedding, so even though I paused, I was still technically covered since our wedding date. So I could’ve filed claims if I’d had any medical expenses that september, so, that’s a big something to also look into !

Insurance can be tricky. Most times, you can only sign up during Open Enrollment or if you have a Qualifying Event. A qualifying event opens up a special enrollment period. This is usually only for 30-60 days from the qualifying event. Marriage is a qualifying event. You should check with his insurance because time could be ticking. Otherwise, you will need to wait until open enrollment comes aroud again. The open enrollment time can vary by company, my personal company its November. Medicare is middle November until middle December.

I would change your insurance ASAP so you don't miss the "qualifying event" window and then worry about updating your name after.

People change names for reasons outside of marriage and have to update their insurance, etc. so it is very doable to do that later.