How Long Is A Child Covered Under Health Insurance? 
For most people the answer is that children can be covered under their parent 's health insurance until age 26 . Children must be covered even if they are married , no longer enrolled in school , or not claimed as a dependent on tax returns . The Afffordable Care Act added this requirement . Grandfathered plans are exempt from the requirement . Some states may have additional requirements for dependents . For example , NJ has a requirement to cover dependents up to age 30 with different exclusion rules . 