Daughter can have Medicaid and employer plan

I am an employee enrolling in a High Deductible Health Plan (for the first time) for 2015 and my 11-year-old dependent daughter has Medicaid. Will she still be a covered dependent under the HDHP as well?

Julie in Pennsylvania

Dear Julie,

Your daughter is allowed to have both private health insurance and Medicaid at the same time.  You would enroll her in the HDHP at your company, and notify Medicaid that she has a new health insurance plan.  Your company plan would pay your daughter’s bills first, and then Medicaid would pay second.  Her doctor’s office (or whoever else she sees for care) will know how to submit the bills.

I would encourage you to consider not enrolling her in the HDHP, however.  If it costs you money from your paycheck to cover her, you will be paying for coverage that your daughter will not need.  Medicaid will pay her bills under and over the deductible.  There may be other reasons that the private plan would be helpful, such as access to specialists.  Aside from that, having her covered by two plans — especially when one is a high deductible plan — may cost more than it’s worth.

Linda Riddell

About Linda Riddell

A published author and health policy analyst with 25 years’ experience, Linda Riddell's goal is to alleviate the widespread ailment of not knowing what your health plan can do for you.