Medical Expense✓ Verified · outline & fact-checked · Sep 2026Difficulty 2/5
A child covered under a parent's employer group health plan ages out of dependent coverage at age 26. Under COBRA, the child may continue coverage for:
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
When a dependent loses coverage because of 'aging out' — reaching the ACA's 26-year-old dependent coverage limit — the child is a qualified beneficiary who may elect COBRA continuation coverage for up to 36 months. This is longer than the standard 18-month continuation for the employee's own loss of coverage, because aging out is a separate qualifying event. Agents should inform families of this option when dependents age out.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) 18 months is the standard COBRA period for the employee's own loss of coverage, not for a dependent aging out.
- C) 12 months is not a COBRA duration under federal law for any qualifying event.
- D) 6 months is not a COBRA duration; the dependent aging-out event provides 36 months.
Memory hook
Aging out at 26? COBRA rides along for 36 months.