Answer: 26 years old.

Questions:

• There’s a misconception that young people don’t have to get insurance because they’re generally healthy and don’t need it. What’s one argument against this?
• Do you think there is a cost to being on a parent's health insurance plan? If so, do you think a child's insurance is more/less expensive than their parent's health insurance? 
• Do you think this is a good policy to allow students to stay on their parent's health insurance plans up to this age? Why or why not? 

Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

 Behind the numbers (from HHS.gov):

Under current law, if your plan covers children, you can now add or keep your children on your health insurance policy until they turn 26 years old.

Children can join or remain on a parent's plan even if they are:

• Married
• Not living with their parents
• Attending school
• Not financially dependent on their parents
• Eligible to enroll in their employer’s plan

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Interested in health insurance? Check out NGPF's lesson 11.3: Health Insurance

About the Authors

Danielle Bautista

Danielle is a native of Southern California and a recent graduate from the University of Maine, where she braved the frigid winters—a feat in and of itself—and earned her Bachelor's degree in International Affairs. She has a passion for working with non-profit organizations and serving populations in underprivileged communities. When Danielle isn't writing NGPF blog posts, spearheading various outreach projects, or managing contests and flash surveys, you can find her doing some sort of outdoor activity, learning a new hobby, or cracking what she thinks are witty puns!

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.