Loading...Loading...If you’re turning 26 soon and currently covered by your parent’s health insurance, it’s time to start thinking about your next steps.
When you turn 26, you’ll lose coverage under your parent’s health plan, and you’ll need to sign up for your own. This might sound daunting, but we’re here to make the transition easy and answer all your questions. And we have a variety of Individual and Family plans to meet your budget and needs.
Read on for your complete guide to health insurance for young adults. If you’re a parent of an almost-26-year-old, share this guide with them to get the conversation started.
First, you’ll need to know how you’ll get your own insurance. Most likely, you’ll get coverage through one of the following sources:
- Your employer
- The Affordable Care Act (ACA) Health Insurance Marketplace, also known as the Marketplace or the exchange (learn more here)
- Medicaid (if you qualify based on income or other factor, like family size or disability)
- Directly from an insurance provider like Regence
There’s a time in the fall called open enrollment, when people can sign up for insurance for the next year. In general, if you miss it, you’ll have to go without insurance until the next fall. But luckily, turning 26 qualifies you for special enrollment. Your special enrollment period—the time you have to sign up for coverage—is the two months before your 26th birthday and the two months after.
One exception to this is if you’re signing up through your employer. Most likely you’ll have between 30 and 60 days after your birthday, but you should check with your HR department to find out when you need to enroll.
A good rule of thumb is to sign up for your plan by the 15th day of the month prior to when you want your coverage to start. If you want your coverage to begin on June 1, for example, sign up no later than May 15.
100% covered preventive care
Be proactive with annual checkups, flu shots and screenings. Many in-network preventive care services are 100% covered by your health plan.
Virtual care
Have an appointment with a doctor or therapist from the comfort of home. Best of all, virtual visits usually cost less than in-person ones.
Mental health support on us
Choose from a variety of insurance-covered therapy and counseling options, including financial and legal guidance—at no extra charge.
Tools that make it easy
Make smart health care decisions with personalized tools on our website and app. Quickly find care, compare prices and get one-on-one support.
Members-only discounts
Save on alternative care, fitness devices and more, plus get 15% off over-the-counter products like vitamins, supplements and allergy medications.
Well-being programs
Reach your goals, whether it’s practicing mindfulness or improving your sleep. Sync your fitness device for easy tracking, plus you may be able to earn rewards.
Go to the shopping tool at the top of the page and click Start shopping.
Enter your income to see if you qualify for financial assistance.
- If you qualify for federal subsidies, we’ll connect you to your state’s Marketplace, where you can see how much you’ll receive to help out with your monthly premium. Then, you can browse plans on the Marketplace—here you’ll find our Regence plans, which you could get for little to no cost.
- If you qualify for Medicaid, we’ll connect you to your state’s website, where you can apply for Medicaid.
- If you don’t qualify for financial assistance, you can shop for a Regence plan directly with us.
Find the plan that fits and enroll—so you can get back to living your best life with peace of mind.
If you have any questions about enrollment or health insurance for young adults, we’re here to help. Just give us a call at 1 (888) REGENCE.