Generally, after a divorce, a person loses the “spouse” status which would qualify he or she as a dependent under the other spouse’s health insurance plan. At the beginning of your case, you should review your spouse’s health insurance policy to confirm whether or not you will be qualified as a spouse for health insurance coverage after your divorce.
If your spouse’s plan no longer considers you to be a “spouse” for health insurance coverage you may still be able to obtain coverage pursuant to a COBRA election. A COBRA election would require your spouse’s employer to extend an option to you to purchase coverage in your old policy. You should contact your spouse’s employer right away to find out the cost of the election and the time in which you will have to apply for coverage under COBRA because many employers require the application for COBRA to be made within days of your divorce judgment so you need to make sure you apply within the law’s strict time requirements.