Get a Quote »New state and federal laws allow Ohio residents to keep children insured on a parent’s health insurance policy past age 23. Federal law only requires that coverage is offered to age 26, but state law allows for dependents to be insured up to age 28.
Those who are insured through an employer based group health insurance plan and those who have purchased individual or family insurance can keep their children covered for several more years if necessary.
State and Federal Eligibility Requirements
Under the state of Ohio law, there are eligibility requirements. The prospective insured must be:
- Unmarried
- A natural child, step-child or legally adopted
- Not yet age 28
- Resident of Ohio or full time student
- Not employed by a company offering eligible health benefits
- Ineligible for Medicare or Medicaid
Under Federal law the child can be married or unmarried but must be:
- A child of the employee as defined under the group policy
- Not yet age 26
- Not have group coverage from their own employer plan
It is important to note that the child does not need to be financially dependent on the parent(s) in order to qualify for coverage under the new state and federal health care reform laws. Additionally, parents should be able to write off their child’s monthly premiums for income tax purposes as before.
Health Insurance Plans – Adding Dependents
The state law in Ohio takes affect July 1, 2010. Parents can request to add their children on an existing group or individual plan during the first renewal date of their policy. All new policies issued after July 1 will automatically allow for the addition of older dependents.
The state law applies to group policies that include coverage for dependents as well as COBRA and state continuation coverage. It is important to note that not all employer offered group health insurance policies offer coverage to dependents.
Ohio law also offers extended coverage to those who purchase individual and family health insurance on their own if group coverage is unavailable to them. All plans including basic, standard, open enrollment, and conversion plans will fall under the new state law.
Federal Implementation of Health Care Law
The Federal law will go into affect on September 23, 2010. It applies to group plans as well as individual health insurance that provides benefits for dependents. Self insured ERISA plans are also covered.
For Ohio residents, the Federal law only requires health insurance coverage is offered to age 26. However, the Ohio laws require coverage to age 28 or an extra two years provided the requirements mentioned above are satisfied. Thus, insurers offering group or family health insurance coverage in Ohio will need to abide by the state law from age 26 to 28 as of July 1.
Requirements for Employer Health Insurance Plans
Employers who do not offer health insurance for dependents will not be required to do so under these two new laws. Nor will they be required to offer coverage to a spouse of the insured. These laws only affect group plans currently providing coverage for children of the insured.
You can learn more about the new law at the Ohio Department of Insurance: http://www.insurance.ohio.gov/Consumer/Documents/Dependent%20Age%20FAQs.pdf
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