This video explains what a spousal surcharge is and why you might have to pay it:

• A spousal surcharge is a fee applied to an employee's health plan when their spouse, who has access to their own job's health insurance, opts instead to join the employee's plan.

• This surcharge is implemented because companies prefer the financial responsibility for healthcare costs to fall on the spouse's employer who already makes coverage available to them. Since health insurance is costly for companies, with expenses significantly influenced by the health conditions of the employees and dependents covered, companies set up spousal surcharges to prevent potentially expensive dependents from joining their health plan needlessly.

• The surcharge helps offset the additional costs incurred when an employee's spouse, who could be covered elsewhere, is added to the company's plan.