Should I be on my wife's health insurance in addition to my own?

[escher]

I currently have a PPO plan through my employer, and my wife has a PPO plan through her employer.

My plan is more expensive, but it has a lower deductible and better coverage for infertility services (which I currently use) and homebirth (which I hope (please!) to need next year). My wife's plan is less expensive than my plan, and it costs the same amount if it covers only her or both her and me.

My wife hardly uses her insurance, so it doesn't seem like it makes sense to switch her to my plan (having her on my plan would cost more than us each having our own plans).

I use my insurance for infertility services enough that I think it would cost us more for me to be only on her plan, even with the amount we would save in premiums.

My question: Should I be on both my plan and her plan? What would be the advantages or disadvantages of that?

Thank you!

[painefaria]

escher - I guess it would depend on the cost to add you to her insurance, and in the long run would it really make a dent in the cost. The second inusurance (co-insurance) would only be covering the portion that was not covered by your insurance so if that portion is more than what it would cost to add you it would make sense but otherwise I would say stay where you are.

[texmati]

I don't think so. I think your insurance companies will argue about every claim. You won't be able to, say, use one for infertility treatments, and the other for sick visits to  your family practitioner. There is such a thing as supplemental health insurance that you may want to  look into.

[escher]

Thanks, Texmati and Painefaria. It's good to hear that even though it is free to add me, it might end up being more of a pain than it is worth.

My plan covers just one IUI per month. Her plan covers (a lower percentage) of one IUI per month. Does anyone know if it would be possible to apply those to different IUIs each month? I doubt it, but maybe I'm wrong.

Thank you!

[A&A]

When we had double coverage, our insurance companies constantly fought with each other--both claiming the other company should be the one to pay.  It was a huge pain in the butt.  (and legally you have to let them know that you have other coverage.)