Staying on Your Parents' Health Insurance (2024)

FAQs

Do I lose my parents' insurance the day I turn 26? ›

If you're covered by a parent's job-based plan, your coverage usually ends when you turn 26. But check with the employer or plan. Some states and plans have different rules. If you're on a parent's Marketplace plan, you can remain covered through December 31 of the year you turn 26 (or the age permitted in your state).

If you file your taxes independently, you're still allowed to stay on your parent's health insurance plan until age 26 (or the age limit in your state). Your ability to stay on your parents' health insurance is only based on your age and is separate from your tax filing status.

Most young adults lose coverage from their parent's health insurance plans soon after they turn 26. This cutoff is because of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which only requires health insurance companies to cover a dependent on a parent's plan until they turn 26.

If your parent's plan covers dependents, you usually can get added to or stay on your parent's health plan until you turn 26 years old.

That's because, under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), young adults typically qualify for dependent coverage under a parent's insurance plan until the end of the year they turn 26. In some states, you can stay on a parent's plan past age 26. You have many options when coverage under a parent's plan ends.

If your parent is covered under a health plan offered by an employer with 50 or fewer workers (“small group” plan) or through an individually purchased ACA-compliant health plan on or outside of the Marketplace, then the plan is required to cover your prenatal care and delivery.

If your dependent is claimed on your tax return, they may still be required to file an income tax return of their own. The requirements vary by filing status and age. The current tax year minimum income requirements for dependents are listed in the table below.

Per federal law, you can remain on your parents' health insurance until your 26th birthday in most states. There are no restrictions before then, so you're eligible for coverage under your parents' plan even if you're: Married. Not in school.

In other words, "children" who are over the age of 18 and earn enough money to support themselves may still receive health insurance coverage from their parents. This has no bearing on their tax status. In order to secure this benefit, parents aren't required to claim such children as dependents on their tax returns.

In most cases, children under the age of 26 can remain on their parent's plan regardless of whether they are married. In some states, this deadline can be extended until the age of 30 depending on the children's marital status, whether they are a veteran, their disability status or whether they have children.

How long after you turn 26 can you stay on your parents insurance with Cigna? ›

But how do you choose the right health insurance plan ? If you've turned 26,¹ you're no longer covered by your parents' plan.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act permits married or unmarried dependent children to be covered under the health plans to the age of 26. An unmarried dependent child may be covered for health beyond age 26 to age 30, if the criteria established by Florida Statute are satisfied (see following Q & A).

Since 2010, young adults have been able to stay on their parents' health insurance plan until they turn 26. They can even stay on it if they have a job that offers health insurance, are married, are in school or no longer live with their parents.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) requires plans and issuers that offer coverage to children on their parents plan, to make the coverage available until the adult child reaches the age of 26, even if the young adult child no longer lives with his or her parents, is not a dependent on a parent's tax ...

There is no age limit to the maximum age which a person can obtain health insurance. However, there is some important information you will need to know when choosing the right plan to ensure you receive the best coverage available.

When the adult children attain age 26 and lose coverage, they are subsequently entitled to 36 months of COBRA. For example, if a 25-year-old child is eligible for COBRA due to his mother s employment termination, he can receive 18 months of coverage.

Some people can stay on a parent's plan until age 30. Learn more about the "Age 29" law. Contact your college or university to see if they offer health insurance. If you can't get insurance, learn about your options for low-cost health care.

Losing your parent's health care coverage when you turn age 26 is a qualifying life event. This means you don't have to wait for the Open Enrollment Period to sign up for a health plan.