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Young adults may be surprised to find they can only stay on their parents’ dental insurance until they turn 19, or perhaps longer. Many insurers do extend the age limit to between 22 and 26 or beyond for full-time students or dependents with a certified disability. However, rules vary by plan and state laws.
Some people may be confused about the age limits for dental plans for children because the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a federal law, extends dependent coverage of medical health benefits to age 26. However, it doesn’t apply to dental or vision insurance. Learn more about the different age limits for vision insurance.
- You can stay on your parents’ dental plan until your are at least 19.
- Many insurers extend the age limit to between ages 22 and 26 if you’re a full-time student, but you might face other requirements.
- The Affordable Care Act (ACA) that requires medical health insurance policies to cover dependents to age 26 doesn’t apply to dental plans.
- Some states have their own extended age limit laws for dependents on dental plans.
Can I Stay On My Parents’ Dental Insurance Even If I Move Out or Get Married?
Most dental insurance companies let you stay on your parents’ plan if you move out, but not if you get married.
It’s not uncommon for insurers to have some “restrictions for dependents on financial independence factors such as like cohabitation status, marriage, student standing, or securing your own employment-based coverage,” Samuel Greenes, an insurance broker and founder and CEO of BLUE Insurance, told Investopedia.
However, you’ll need to look at how your parents’ dental plan contract defines “dependents” to know the age limit that applies to you.
Extending the Age Limit
The ACA makes pediatric dental care an essential health benefit for children, so kids are covered under their plan’s benefit until they turn 19. After that, there aren’t any federal regulations that mandate continued coverage.
But a handful of states have laws extending the age limit for children to stay under their parents’ plan:
| Age Limits to Remain on Parents’ Dental Insurance Plan | ||
|---|---|---|
| State | Age Limit | Notes |
| Connecticut | 26 | No age restriction on permanently and totally disabled children. Must not be eligible for coverage under your employer’s group plan. |
| Missouri | 25 | Dependents with a mental or physical disability preventing them from working can continue to receive coverage beyond the age limit. |
| New Mexico | 26 | Must be unmarried. No requirements to be a full- or part-time student. |
| New York | 26 | No requirements to be a full- or part-time student. |
| Ohio | 26 | Must be unmarried. |
| Wisconsin | 27 | Must be unmarried. Must also be ineligible for coverage under another group health plan or have the premium under the other group health plan be more than your parents’ plan. |
Greenes says there are few statutory guarantees, and that most insurers’ policies are flexible and discretionary now, with age limits commonly between 22 and 26. Dental insurers that do set their own limits often only unconditionally cover young adults until their 19th birthday or, on some plans, until the last day of the month they turned 19.
Afterward, you might only be eligible for coverage if you’re unmarried and a full-time student or are certified by a physician as disabled. With some dental providers, young adults with disabilities may be eligible for continued coverage beyond the insurer’s age limit.
Alternatives to Your Parents’ Dental Insurance
If you can no longer stay under your parents’ dental insurance plan, you have various options to help you cover the cost of dental services, according to Greenes:
- Employer-sponsored group plans from your job
- University-based student insurance plans if you’re still enrolled in school
- Low-cost, dental discount plans (programs that offer savings when you pay an annual membership fee) that you purchase on your own
- Individual dental insurance policies that you purchase on federal or state insurance marketplaces or directly on provider websites
Losing dental coverage on your parents’ plan makes you eligible for a special enrollment period in the ACA Health Insurance Marketplace. You don’t have to wait until the next enrollment period to join a new dental plan.
If you’re also getting health insurance from the Marketplace, you can apply your premium tax credits (PTC) to dental plans to help lower their premiums. However, you can’t use your PTC on stand-alone dental policies.
Of course, you also have the option of going without dental insurance. If you can’t afford premiums and have relatively healthy teeth, you might decide to pay out-of-pocket for your cleanings and other minor dental work such as cavity fillings. Many dentists offer payment plans to make paying for unexpected procedures easier.
Is It Worth Staying on Your Parents’ Dental Insurance?
In most cases, it will likely be worth staying on your parents’ dental plan as long as you can. You’ll likely pay more for your own policy and may even receive fewer benefits and a smaller provider network. Greenes said that you’ll get more benefits at a lower personal expense with a family policy.
Note
If you don’t want your parents to shoulder the cost of your policy, you could pay your part of their premiums instead of getting your own policy.
What’s the Average Price of Dental Insurance for a Family?
Greenes said that 2023 insurance industry data shows family dental insurance prices hover around $380. However, they can be as low as $200 for a discount program and up to $600 for a comprehensive dental plan. Copays and deductibles can also affect final out-of-pocket spending.
Do I Have to Be a Full-Time Student to Stay on My Parents’ Dental Insurance?
Most insurers require you to be a full-time student to be eligible for coverage once you turn 19, but rules vary by plan and state. For example, there are no student status requirements in New York and New Mexico for you to receive coverage from your parents’ plan until age 26.
Can I Stay on My Parents’ Dental Insurance If I Have a Job?
Whether or not you can stay on your parents’ dental insurance varies by insurer. Some may not let you remain on your parents’ plan if you’re working or eligible for coverage under your employer’s group plan.
How Long Can I Stay on My Parents’ Vision Insurance?
In most cases, you can stay on your parents’ vision insurance at least until you turn 19, and longer if you’re a full-time student or have a mental or physical disability. The rules for dependent coverage age limits on vision insurance are similar to those of dental because the ACA doesn’t mandate vision insurers to cover dependents until age 26.
Can I Have My Own Insurance and Be on My Parents’ Policy at the Same Time?
You can only have two policies at once if they are group plans, meaning both your and your parents’ policies are employment-based. You can’t have dual policies for individual plans. If you have two group-based dental plans, typically, the oldest plan is your primary carrier and the other your secondary. Usually, your primary carrier covers more of the bill than the secondary one.
The Bottom Line
You can stay on your parents’ dental insurance at least until you turn 19, at which point many insurers usually offer extended coverage up to around 26 if you’re a full-time student. If you are permanently disabled and financially dependent on your parents, there may be no age limit on your dependent coverage.
Some states have statewide laws requiring extended age limits for dependents on dental plans. In many of them, you must be unmarried. In states without laws, age limits and requirements vary by insurer.