---
title: Dependent Coverage Rules
description: School, city, and county employers must following Affordable Care Act rules when offering dependent coverage. Here's an overview of the rules.
---

[Employee Benefit News for School, City and County Employers ](https://blog.nisbenefits.com)

# [Dependent Coverage Rules](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/dependent-coverage-rules)

 Written by [Erin Woulfe](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/author/erin-woulfe) | Oct 6, 2020 2:36:06 PM

*1 minute read*

Many school, city, and county employers offer health insurance coverage to their employees as well as their dependent children. Here is an overview of the Affordable Care Act rules that employers must follow when offering dependent coverage:

- Individual and group health plans which offer dependent child coverage must provide this coverage until the child attains age 26. (Some state laws may require plans to provide dependent coverage beyond age 26. And some state laws apply to all dependents while others may require coverage to be provided beyond age 26 to disabled dependents.)
- These dependents must be offered all benefit packages and can’t be required to pay more for coverage than similarly situated individuals.
- Dependent child coverage cannot be based upon marital status, enrollment in school, financial dependency, residency, or other factors.

Employers should review their health plan rules regarding dependent coverage to ensure that their health plans are compliant.

[Download the bulletin](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/hubfs/Blog%20-%20supporting%20documents/bulletin%20-%20Dependent%20Coverage%20Rules%20-%20Reminders%20for%20Employers.pdf) for more details.

[View full post](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/dependent-coverage-rules)

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