The law Question and answer | Another Health Insurance Option for Mom and Dad | Columns

Can you add mom and dad or stepmother and stepfather to your coverage under your accident and health insurance policies?

If they are your family members, you can do that. From January 1, 2026.

A new Illinois law passed by the Legislature requires insurance companies starting in 2026 to make dependent coverage available to an insured’s parents or stepparents if those people live within the insurance policy’s service area and qualify as a dependent under federal tax law .

By the way, this is what defines a qualifying dependent under federal tax law: they must have a qualified relationship with the taxpayer, the dependent’s gross income must be less than the taxpayer’s claimed exemption amount, the taxpayer must have more than half of the dependent’s annual support, and the dependent must have the same primary residence as the taxpayer and be a member of the taxpayer’s household.

And while we’re on the subject, survivors are defined as the taxpayer’s children or the descendants of the taxpayer’s children; a brother or sister or step-sibling; a parent or an ancestor of a parent; a stepparent; blood cousins ​​of the taxpayer; blood uncles or aunts; or in-laws – son, daughter, brother, sister, father and/or mother.

The now mandatory addition of dependent parents or stepparents to accident and health insurance coverage does not apply to specialty health care plans, Medicare supplement insurance, hospital-only policies, accident-only policies, or specific health insurance policies that reimburse for hospital costs, medical or surgical costs.

Accordingly, this new dependent extension for parental units only applies to your average, regular, All-American accident and health coverage – which can be packed with deductibles and co-pays depending on the extent of coverage between the insured and the insurance company. has been agreed. company.

In any case, accident and health policies have a limited scope, but can be an important addition to coverage. Individual and group accident and health insurance policies cover accidents and emergencies. These policies often fill in gaps not covered by traditional health insurance, so individuals and organizations that offer group coverage can add this type of coverage for families or employees at greater risk of injury.

If the parent or stepparent is covered by Medicare, this mandatory coverage offer is excluded if the intention of the insured is to make it a supplemental insurance policy for Medicare. Supplemental Medicare Insurance, also known as Medigap, is a separate plan that helps pay out-of-pocket costs associated with Medicare. It helps cover deductibles, coinsurance, and co-payments.

The public policy behind this law, which requires insurers to provide coverage to parents, is the fact that many families take parents into their home to provide support. And in practice, it can only really affect situations where the parents are not yet old enough to qualify for Medicare coverage.

But apparently the bill’s sponsors were compelled by evidence that not enough carriers were offering coverage under accident and health insurance plans for an insured’s parents who would qualify as dependents.

So if Poppa falls down the stairs starting in 2026, his time in rehab will be reported, where he will hopefully recover as quickly as the Illini football program, which has been converted into a top-25 team.

Brett Kepley is an attorney at Land of Lincoln Legal Aid Inc. Send questions to The Law Q&A, 302 N. First St., Champaign, IL 61820.