In viewing health insurance coverage and the troubled economy together, some states acted this year to extend the eligibility options for many potential dependents, in many cases raising the upper age limit or removing the “unmarried” requirement for an older child. Several individual “snapshot” examples of state eligibility changes enacted or adopted in 2009, all of which are key compliance issues for health insurers, can be seen below.
- Idaho: Dependent definition revised to: “an unmarried child under the age of twenty-five years and who receives more than one-half of his financial support from the parent”
- Illinois: Parents with insurance policies that cover dependents have right to elect coverage for qualifying dependents up to age 26 and up to age 30 for military veteran dependents
- Nebraska: Extends the limiting dependent age on sickness and accident policies to 30
- New Hampshire: Revises the definition of “dependent” to delete unmarried requirement
- New York: Allows unmarried children through age 29 to be covered under a parent’s group health insurance policy
- Ohio: Allows unmarried children until age 28 to be covered under a parent’s health insurance policy
- Pennsylvania: Allows uninsured single, adult children up to age 30 to be covered by their parents’ health insurance plan
- Wisconsin: Allows unmarried children until age 27 to be covered under a parent’s health insurance policy
Editor’s Recommendation
Research dependent eligibility requirements in all jurisdictions easily with NILS INsource.
