Can I Put My Parents on My Health Insurance?

State laws dictate that you can put your parents on your health insurance as long as they are financially dependent on you and meet certain other eligibility criteria in California and — beginning in 2026 — Illinois. Some health insurance companies in other parts of the country may also agree to extend coverage to your dependent parents, but there is no guarantee that they will do so outside of these two states.

Keep reading for more information about how to add an elderly parent to insurance and what factors you should keep in mind as you look for the best coverage for your parents.

On This Page

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  Can I Put My Parents on My Health Insurance Plan?

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  When Should I Add My Parents to My Health Insurance Plan?

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  Does It Cost More To Add My Parents to My Health Insurance?

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  What Types of Health Insurance Plans Can I Share With My Parents?

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  Can My Parents Be on Two Health Insurance Plans?

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  How Do I Add My Parents to My Health Insurance Plan?

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  FAQs

Can I Put My Parents on My Health Insurance Plan?

As of 2025, California is the only state where health insurance companies are required to let you add dependent parents to your individual or group health insurance plan.^[1] Your parent or stepparent may be eligible to join your health insurance in California if they meet the following requirements:^[2]

• Live in the plan’s service area
• Are not eligible for or enrolled in Medicare
• Meet the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requirements for a qualifying relative

Beginning in 2026, any health plan that provides dependent coverage in Illinois must also cover a dependent parent who lives in the plan’s service area and is classified as a qualifying relative.[3] The IRS defines qualifying relatives as family members — including parents, stepparents and parents-in-law — who have an annual gross income below $2,000 and rely on you for more than half of their annual financial support.^[4][5]

Outside of California and Illinois, health insurers usually won’t let you add your parents to your plan, although you can at least reach out to your insurance carrier to ask whether you can do so if you’re not sure about the company’s guidelines. Your insurance provider may be more likely to cover your parent if you are their legal guardian or if they have a disability that necessitates significant medical or financial support from you.^[6]

When Should I Add My Parents to My Health Insurance Plan?

You should only consider adding your parents to your health insurance if they are not eligible for coverage through a government-sponsored program, such as Medicare or Medicaid. For example, suppose your parents’ income is below 138% of the federal poverty level. In that case, it may be more cost-effective for them to get health insurance coverage through Medi-Cal, which is California’s publicly funded Medicaid program.^[7]

Can I Put My Elderly Parents on My Health Insurance?

If your parents are over the age of 65, they should qualify for coverage through the federal government’s Medicare program and shouldn’t need to be on your insurance plan. Eligible seniors can get Medicare Part A for free if they or their spouse worked and paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years, so your parents may only have to pay a premium for optional coverages, like Medicare Part B.^[8]

Remember that your parents can’t join your Covered California plan if they are eligible for Medicare, so elderly parents may have to get coverage through Medicare if they want to be insured.^[2]

That said, California’s Parent Healthcare Act provides protections for “mixed-status” families, which include both lawfully present immigrants and undocumented relatives they support financially.^[9] Undocumented immigrants aren’t eligible for Medicare, so adding your elderly parents to your health insurance may be the best option if they are undocumented.^[10]

Does It Cost More To Add My Parents to My Health Insurance?

Adding any tax dependent to your health plan will generally cause your health insurance rates to go up; dependent parents can have a particularly dramatic effect because older people may have to pay up to three times more for health coverage than younger people.^[11] Nevertheless, it may still be cheaper to add your parents to an existing plan than to buy them separate coverage.

For example, the deductible and out-of-pocket maximum for a family plan are often double what they would be for a comparable individual plan.^[12] As a result, if your family plan covers six people — including your parents — your family would collectively reach these thresholds and prompt your insurance company to cover more of your medical expenses sooner than if any of your family members had their own insurance plan.

What Types of Health Insurance Plans Can I Share With My Parents?

In California and Illinois, the laws surrounding coverage for dependent parents broadly apply to individual and group major medical health insurance plans. However, certain types of nonmajor medical health plans are excluded from the states’ requirements and do not have to extend coverage to your parents, such as the following:^[1][3]

• Specialized health care service plans
• Medicare Supplement Insurance
• TRICARE supplemental insurance
• Hospital indemnity insurance
• Accident insurance
• Critical illness insurance

Can My Parents Be on Two Health Insurance Plans?

Family members aren’t required to be covered by the same health insurance, so you are allowed to put your parents on two separate health plans. An example scenario where this may make sense is if one of your parents is 60 and the other is 65; in this case, you could potentially add the younger parent to your health insurance and let the older parent enroll in Medicare.

How Do I Add My Parents to My Health Insurance Plan?

If your health insurance company allows dependent parents to join your plan, you may simply need to contact the insurer and provide documentation showing that your parents qualify as dependents in order to add them to your plan. Keep in mind that you will usually need to add dependents to your plan during open enrollment, which lasts from Nov. 1 to Jan. 15 on the Health Insurance Marketplace.^[13]

That said, you should also be able to update your coverage and add new plan members if someone in your family experiences a qualifying life event that triggers a special enrollment period. For example, you may be eligible for special enrollment if one of your parents loses their existing health care coverage due to a job loss or the death of their spouse.^[14]