Health insurance and common law marriage?

i am wondering if i live in a state that recoginzes common law marriage and we present ourselves as married if i can be placed on my husbands insurace thru his work.

Currently, just nine states--Alabama, Colorado, Kansas, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Iowa, Montana, Oklahoma, Texas--and the District of Columbia continue to allow common law marriages. Couples previously "married" in a state that permitted common law marriages maintain their marital status nationwide. The requirements for demonstrating common law marriage vary from one state to the next.

Recognize that carriers must accept previously designated common law marriages. Generally, insurers may require common law marriage certification to prove that a union occurred

What state do your live in? Go to "google" under "Common Law Marriages", it will give you all the states.

may be

Well, either you are common law married, or you aren't. You'd know that better than any of us. If you are, you have to wait until his open enrollment period to be added to his policy.

Why don't you and your "husband" just get (legally) married?

It depends.

If you're in a state that recognizes common law marriage and you meet all the criteria to establish your relationship in that state, then generally an employer in your state should treat that as legally married for insurance purposes.

However, if your husband's employer is self-funded, they aren't governed by the insurance laws of your state. They have to comply with the federal ERISA act, and they have the option of choosing not to recognize a common-law marriage even if you live in a state that permits common-law.

The only way you can know for sure is for him to ask his employer whether or not common-law spouses are eligible under their benefit plan.