[BonitaAppleBomb]

I'm speaking of continuing health insurance on your adult child past the point of graduating college or successfully establishing themselves in a career-age 23 or 24 maybe? If your adult child has no extenuating medical conditions, would you continue to provide and pay for health insurance for your able-bodied adult child?

I only have one child, age 3, so I have no emotional or personal basis behind this thread. I'm just wondering. A few of my friends had this conversation over lunch a few days ago and one lady still has her 24 year old son on her health insurance. He is healthy and has a decent job. Depending on the insurance company, you are allowed to keep a child on up until a certain age (it varies), but my mom cared less about that. I think she dropped me when I turned 21; so I do remember going a few years without health insurance while I was still in college.

[irishxrose]

If it was ridiculously expensive for their own and cheaper on mine, or if the insurance benefits were crappy or virtually nonexistent through an employer? Yes we would. Just because someone has a good job also does not mean that they will have better insurance through that employer - or any insurance option at all. And private insurance can and does cost more money than a college kid or a person just starting out in their career (a modest income career) would most likely be able to afford on their own in some states (like mine - it's really nice being told you'd have to pay more than your monthly mortgage for private insurance! ahem)

Anyway, yes, absolutely, I would. But I also don't believe that I have to stop helping my kids once they hit a "magical" age of 18 or 21 either. In my family, we take care of family - financially, physically or otherwise. It was the way I was raised, it's the way I'll raise my kids. DH was raised the same way. Would we automatically do it? No, but if the circumstances call for it (ie it was cheaper or better plans or whatever, if the benefits outweighed any cons) than yes we would have our adult children on our plan. But that's just us and I realize other families work differently.

[mswordwiz]

Originally Posted by irishxrose

If it was ridiculously expensive for their own and cheaper on mine, or if the insurance benefits were crappy or virtually nonexistent through an employer? Just because someone has a good job also does not mean that they will have better insurance through that employer - or any insurance option at all. And private insurance can and does cost more money than a college kid or a person just starting out in their career (a modest income career) would most likely be able to afford on their own in some states (like mine - it's really nice being told you'd have to pay more than your monthly mortgage for private insurance! ahem)

Anyway, yes, absolutely, I would. But I also don't believe that I have to stop helping my kids once they hit a "magical" age of 18 or 21 either. In my family, we take care of family - financially, physically or otherwise. It was the way I was raised, it's the way I'll raise my kids. DH was raised the same way. Would we automatically do it? No, but if the circumstances call for it (ie it was cheaper or better plans or whatever, if the benefits outweighed any cons) than yes we would have our adult children on our plan. But that's just us and I realize other families work differently.

This.

I think also if my child was still finishing up college (not everyone does it in 4 years) and my benefits were better than the student plan, I would keep them on ours. If the child was on their own working with no benefits, yes I would keep them on until we could transition them to an independent plan.

Once they have their own job with equitable benefits kicked in or they qualify for a plan of their own where the premium will not kill them, then they are on their own and its called welcome to being a grown up. If something happened and they needed assistance in paying a premium to remain insured, you bet I would help out.

[LorieB]

I completely agree with the other girls, I see no problem with it especially if it was more beneficial to the child. Don't the insurance companies get enough money from us without also charging high rates to the now adult child? I also know of people who keep adult children on their auto insurance for various reasons, mostly to save money for the child. I would absolutely help my child out for insurance of any kind, I think it's very important to have. Would it be better to have your child declare bankruptcy or have to pay for their bills if they suddenly became ill or injured? If my insurance provider didn't allow for me to keep an adult child on, I'd also help to pay or pay for their insurance as long as they couldn't afford it and weren't spending their money foolishly on other things.

[Jess is Write]

If our insurance is better than what he has available, then we'll keep him on for as long as the policy allows.

[lesliek0211]

I agree with all of the PP. I wasn't taken off of my parents insurance until I was 24 and got married. I was in school up to this time as well. If a child is doing things to better themselves either by working or schooling, I for sure, will help them in any way I can.

[KimberlyD0]

The medical insurence we have here is slightly different, it covers the extra's that the provincial healthcare doesn't cover. Like dental, drug, elective sergery, cosmetic things (dental or sergery), hospital rooms (for private or semi-private), DH's even covered my breastpump, and some will cover hypoallergetic formula's, ect.

These insurences are avalible through many jobs or can be from outside private sorces. DH and I are both eligable through our work.

Mine cost $26 a month for 80% coverage, and DH is $0 and is 100% coverage (wonder who's we use lol) Each plan has its own ins an outs. DH's for example is 100% with the exception of cosmetic things, like braces or dentures (all in the fine print you see) and also it coveres the eye appointments 100% and only $200 for glasses (each) which really is a lot. We don't pay for the one from my work since his is so extensive. The downside sometimes is some things you pay out of pocket first then are reimbersed, like the stupid dental sergion. I needed a tooth pulled, I have 100% and STILL had to fork out $200 to get it done and wait 4 weeks for the $$ more a pain then anything else.

With his insurence the girls are covered till 21 or finished school (whichever is first) Now DD has some deleys, and if her tests result in her being "special needs" she's covered till 25. As long as they're in school I have no issue covering them. But when they join the work force they can get their own insurence. Most placed do have it, but even if they don't they are at least covered for all basic medical needs. Should they need extra's (like dental or drugs) there is other things avalible, or we'll help them out best we can. Depends on the situation.

wow sorry, still spacy from being sick, didn't mean to ramble so much.

[Tammyjh]

When we had private, it didn't matter how man kids we had(up to a certain number anyway), the premium was the same. So, if we still had that plan or can afford a similar plan again in the future, it won't matter if my oldest is on the policy or off, it will still cost us the same amount for the monthly premium. If she's still at an age where she can be covered under ours, there would be no need for her to pay into a work plan unless the coverage there was better or she wanted to.

[Emm17]

We have no health benefits (aside from the ones covered by OHIP) If we did have them, and I imagine we will by the time Avery is that old, we will allow her to be on them as long as she needs to be.

[aussiemummy]

I don't really see a problem with it either.

[Keskes]

I don't see a problem with it. I didn't have health insurance through the bit of college I went to, because I had to declare myself an independent student to be able to afford college at all. So my mother couldn't claim me as a dependent on her taxes, and therefore I had no insurance. She would have covered me until I was 24, though. And my mother paid my car insurance until I was 22, because it was cheaper than me paying for my own policy. She would have paid longer, but when I got my "new" car it was in DH's name.

On the other hand, I know a girl I used to work with. She's 23, and has two children. She works part-time, because she's a mother - fair enough. But she goes to school, and is drawing it out as long as possible so that she and her kids can stay on her mother's insurance. The kids have different fathers, and she has no interest in settling down with either of him, and she spends a considerable amount of her money on alcohol and cigarettes. I do not judge her for the single-mom bit, and I don't think she should settle down with someone she doesn't want to be with just because she got pregnant. But I do think that if that was MY child, I'd kick her butt to the curb and tell her to quit smoking and buy her own dang health insurance.. and diapers.

[BonitaAppleBomb]

I do not judge her for the single-mom bit, and I don't think she should settle down with someone she doesn't want to be with just because she got pregnant.

"Single mom bit"? What is that? So there are some people that judge US single moms? Not you, but just saying based off of your statement, there are some people that do.

[Keskes]

I just meant that I'm sure she gets dirty looks for being 23 with two kids (by different fathers) and no man to speak of. I don't really care what she does - she's a good mom. I do judge her mooching off her mom as pretty lame though.