I would like to know if a child can be carried under two different plans. My ex-wife recently started a new job and put our son on her health plan while I still had him on mine. Is there some rule or obligation to take him off one of the plans? Thanks for any info.

Good morning... There is typically not any obligation to take a child off one plan. The two insurance carriers will want to coordinate benefits so that the insured does not receive more than 100% of the benefit related to the claim. Most companies follow the "birthday rule" and determine primary and secondary coverage in this manner. This is not insurance regulation, but rather a common practice among carriers.

Insurance carriers will deem the coverage primary by the parent whose birthday falls earlier in the year. For example, if your birthday is July 1st and your ex-wife's birthday is August 1st, your plan would be deemed primary based on the fact that you were born earlier in the year. The person who was born later in the year will be the secondary carrier for the coverage. The date and month not the year will determine the birthday rule.

An exception to this rule will exist if there is a divorce decree that stipulates who will provide primary coverage. Also, most carriers will deem the parent who has custody of the child to be the primary carrier.

I would check with the customer service department to determine if they will be considered the primary or secondary carrier. There is nothing wrong with your son being on multiple health plans, but a need for coordination of benefits does exist.