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Large employers are required to offer health benefits to full-time workers and to their dependent children or face a penalty. However, large employers are not required to offer health benefits to the spouses of full-time workers, so your employer would not have to pay a penalty for refusing to offer coverage to your spouse. A large employer is one that employs at least 50 workers.
Because your spouse is not offered health benefits through your job, they may be eligible to apply for coverage and premium tax credits through the Marketplace.
Browse more questions in the Employer-Sponsored Health Coverage section.