Do I have to choose my Employer's Group Health Plan?

Answer:
No. When employers offer group health insurance

to their employees it is not mandatory. If you do not wish to participate in the employer’s group plan, you can decline coverage.

For example, if you are eligible to receive health care coverage through your employer but find that your costs are too high, you might decide that you can do better on your own. You might want to decline the coverage if you have access to a better plan through your spouse’s employer or some other organization.

With healthcare costs soaring, more and more employers are shifting much of the costs to the employees. In the past, an employer may have paid the entire cost where now they are asking the employees to start paying. Suddenly, instead of getting free medical insurance, you are paying thousands of dollars per year to insure your family.

Before accepting or declining, check to see if you can get a better deal through your spouse’s employer. Sometimes it makes sense for each spouse to go with their own company’s plan while other times it makes sense to choose one plan for both spouses. If you do decline your employer’s health plan, you will usually be asked to sign a waiver stating that you are declining the coverage.