Young adults · Losing a parent’s plan
Turning 26 in Michigan: what happens to your health insurance
Aging off a parent’s plan is a deadline, not a crisis. Here’s when coverage ends, how long you have to pick a new plan and how the options compare.
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- 60-day enrollment window
- Marketplace plans end Dec 31
- Job plans: check the plan
Plan my coverage after 26
Your info goes to Nexus only. Never sold. No pitch, no obligation.
When the parent’s coverage actually ends
- Parent’s Marketplace plan: you can stay covered through December 31 of the year you turn 26.[1]
- Parent’s job-based plan: generally until you turn 26, even if you marry, have a child, leave school, move out or aren’t claimed as a dependent. Ask the employer or plan for the exact end date; plans can differ.[1]
Your options
- Your own job’s plan, if offered.
- A Marketplace plan. Losing dependent coverage on a parent’s plan is a qualifying loss of coverage.[2] Premium tax credits for 2027 coverage generally stop above 400% of poverty[3], about $63,840 for one person on the 2026 guidelines.[4]
- The Healthy Michigan Plan if your income is at or below 133% of poverty (ages 19 to 64).[5] See Medicaid or Marketplace.
- COBRA. Losing “dependent child” status is a COBRA qualifying event, with up to 36 months of continuation coverage when the plan is subject to COBRA.[6] You may pay up to 102% of the plan’s cost.[6] Compare it first: COBRA vs. Marketplace.
- A Catastrophic plan, open to people under 30.[7] See Catastrophic plans in Michigan.
One rule to know
Choosing to drop dependent coverage early doesn’t, by itself, qualify you for a Special Enrollment Period.[2] Outside a qualifying event, you’d wait for Open Enrollment, November 1 to January 15.[8]
Sources
- HealthCare.gov, How to get or stay on a parent’s plan. https://www.healthcare.gov/young-adults/children-under-26/
- HealthCare.gov, Special Enrollment Periods. https://www.healthcare.gov/coverage-outside-open-enrollment/special-enrollment-period/
- 26 U.S.C. §36B and notes (Pub. L. 119-21 §71305, effective for tax years after Dec. 31, 2025), Cornell LII. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/36B
- HHS ASPE, 2026 Poverty Guidelines (used for 2027 coverage). https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines
- Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Healthy Michigan Plan. https://www.michigan.gov/healthymiplan
- U.S. Department of Labor, EBSA, An Employee’s Guide to Health Benefits Under COBRA (September 2022). https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ebsa/about-ebsa/our-activities/resource-center/publications/an-employees-guide-to-health-benefits-under-cobra.pdf
- HealthCare.gov, Catastrophic health plans. https://www.healthcare.gov/choose-a-plan/catastrophic-health-plans/
- HealthCare.gov, Dates and deadlines. https://www.healthcare.gov/quick-guide/dates-and-deadlines/
Checked October 16, 2026. 2027 Marketplace plans and final 2027 rates aren’t published yet; we’ll update this page when they are.
Frequently asked questions
Can I stay on my parents' health insurance until 26 in Michigan?
Usually yes. If a parent's plan covers dependents, you generally can stay on it until you turn 26.
When does a parent's Marketplace plan end for a 26-year-old?
December 31 of the year you turn 26.
How long do I have to get a new plan after aging off?
Losing coverage on a parent's plan qualifies for a Special Enrollment Period: you can pick a Marketplace plan within 60 days before or after the coverage ends.
Can I keep my parent's plan through COBRA?
If the plan is subject to COBRA, losing dependent child status is a qualifying event with up to 36 months of continuation coverage, at up to 102% of the plan's cost.
Will you sell my information?
No. Your information goes to Nexus Benefit Solutions only and is never sold.