How Long Can You Keep Health Insurance on Your Child?

Laws passed by the federal government in 2009 and 2010 allow parents to extend health insurance to children and young adults for longer than has ever been possible in the past. Even parents who aren't able to afford an insurance policy from a private insurer can still find affordable coverage for a child through a state-run program.

State Run Health Programs

• According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, state-run health programs like the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, can provide low-cost health coverage for children of low-income families until the children turn age 18 or the family's financial situation improves to allow them to purchase a standard insurance policy. This coverage can provide benefits for immunizations, regular check-ups, doctor's visits and emergency care. As of 2009, coverage under the CHIP program has been widened to cover 11 million children, up from a previous seven million children.

Individual Insurance Policies

• As of September 3, 2010, if you purchase a health insurance policy from a private insurer you are able to keep your child on your health insurance plan up to age 26 as long as he is a part-time or full-time student attending an accredited educational institution in the United States. The law that grants this right is the Affordable Care Act. The law also allows you to restore a child to your plan if he was previously removed because of his age and is currently under the age limit and a student.

Dependent Child Coverage

• Many states, like Colorado, allow parents to keep a child on an insurance policy up to a certain age regardless of whether the child is a student or not. In Colorado's case, the law allows a dependent child to say on his parent's insurance until age 25. Dependent is not defined in the strict terms used by the Internal Revenue Service. In this case, all the child need do to be considered a dependent for insurance purposes is not have health insurance of his own.

Finding a Policy For Your Child

• At some point, the eligibility for your child to remain on your health insurance is going to expire. If your child has a low enough income he may be eligible to apply for state-run health insurance programs like Medicaid. This program provides low-cost coverage for adults who meet certain income requirements or who are legally disabled. Medicaid is available in every state, though the requirements for eligibility may be different depending on the state you live in.