Can I Add My Girlfriend or Boyfriend to My Health Insurance?

Your health plan's eligibility rules decide whether you can add a girlfriend or boyfriend, and employers choose whether to offer domestic partner benefits. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, self-funded plans, where the employer pays claims directly, follow federal law instead of state insurance mandates. State law applies to plans an insurance company issues. California requires those plans to cover a registered domestic partner the same way they cover a spouse, while Nevada's domestic partnership law says employers don't have to offer partner health benefits.

Plans that cover a domestic partner treat the partner as a dependent, the same way spousal coverage works, and ask for proof of the relationship such as a shared address or joint finances. Check your Summary of Benefits and Coverage, the plan summary your insurer or employer has to give you, to see whether domestic partners and their children count as eligible dependents.

Your premium share for yourself and a spouse comes out of your paycheck before tax on employer plans. Your share for a domestic partner comes out after tax unless your partner qualifies as your tax dependent. The IRS also counts your employer’s share of your partner’s coverage as taxable income, called imputed income, because federal tax law excludes health coverage only for employees, spouses, dependents and children under 27, per IRS Publication 15-B.

Your plan’s rules decide whether your partner’s children can join your coverage. Plans that accept them ask for proof of the partnership and proof that the children depend on you financially, with financial support records or legal guardianship papers as common forms. Federal law requires plans that offer dependent coverage to cover children until they turn 26, per HealthCare.gov, and your plan’s definition of a child decides whether a partner’s child counts.

Nine states and Washington, D.C., let couples register a civil union or domestic partnership, and each sets its own eligibility rules. In Washington state, one partner has to be at least 62. New Jersey’s domestic partnership requires both partners to be 62 or older, though younger New Jersey couples can enter a civil union. Oregon opened its registry to couples of any sex on Jan. 1, 2024.

A civil union gives partners the rights a state grants spouses. Illinois' civil union law, for example, extends to partners the protections and benefits Illinois law gives spouses. A domestic partnership is a state registration, and what it gives you depends on the state. Washington state law treats registered partners the same as married spouses for all state-law purposes, while Maine's registration affects property and inheritance rights. The federal government recognizes neither status, so the IRS can tax a domestic partner's coverage and partners file separate Marketplace applications.

These four states offer civil unions.

• Colorado
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• New Jersey

These six states and Washington, D.C., offer domestic partnerships.

• California
• Maine
• Nevada
• New Jersey (both partners 62 or older)
• Oregon
• Washington state (one partner 62 or older)
• Washington, D.C.

New Jersey appears on both lists, so the lists name nine different states.

Vermont and Wisconsin no longer accept new registrations. Vermont ended new civil unions on Sept. 1, 2009, and still recognizes existing ones. Wisconsin closed its domestic partnership registry on April 1, 2018.

Hawaii also offers reciprocal beneficiary status, which the state Department of Health limits to two adults who are legally prohibited from marrying each other. Couples who could marry use Hawaii’s civil union instead.

Add your partner to your plan when your added premium plus the tax on imputed income costs less than your partner’s own plan. Also check whether your plan’s network covers their current doctors before enrolling.

Answer these four questions before deciding:

• Financial impact: Calculate how much your premium will rise, and check the tax implications if you have employer-sponsored insurance.
• Health care needs: Confirm your plan covers what your partner needs.
• Relationship stability: Weigh whether you expect to stay on the same plan for the full plan year.
• Better alternatives: Check whether your partner's own employer plan or an individual policy costs less. On the Marketplace, each of you applies separately, and premium tax credits depend on each partner's own household income.

Three costs decide whether one shared plan or two separate plans costs less. Your enrollment materials list your added premium, your HR department can give you the imputed income amount, and your partner’s plan documents or HealthCare.gov list their price.

Add the tax on imputed income to your side of the table before you compare totals. An employer contribution lowers your partner's cost on their own plan, and only your side includes a tax that separate plans don't have.

Nine states and Washington, D.C., let couples register a domestic partnership or civil union, but registering doesn't guarantee your partner a place on your plan. In California, it does require insurer-issued plans to cover your partner the same way as a spouse. Self-funded employer plans set their own rules, so read your plan documents before you register or enroll.

Unless your partner qualifies as your tax dependent, IRS Publication 15-B treats your employer’s share of their coverage as taxable income. Add the tax on that income to your post-tax premium increase, then compare the total with your partner’s own employer plan or Marketplace price before open enrollment.