Under PPACA's dependent coverage rule, a child who is disabled before age 26 and incapable of self-support may:

Why A is correct

The PPACA rule allowing children to remain on a parent's plan until age 26 contains an exception for certain disabled dependents who are incapable of self-support: they may remain covered beyond the 26th birthday. This mirrors the longer-standing dependent-coverage concept that a child who becomes disabled and remains dependent on the insured may be covered as long as the disability continues, regardless of age. The exception matters because a disabled dependent typically cannot obtain replacement coverage on their own, so terminating coverage at 26 would strand a particularly vulnerable person.

Why the other options are wrong

• B) There is an express statutory exception: disabled dependents incapable of self-support are not cut off at age 26, so the no-exception version is contrary to the rule itself.
• C) Age 30 is not a statutory benchmark for dependent coverage; the disabled-dependent exception is open-ended rather than tied to 30, so this answer invents a number the law never uses.
• D) Disabled dependents retain coverage under the parent's plan; they are not shunted into a state high-risk pool, which this answer wrongly substitutes for the statutory exception.

Memory hook

Age 26 has a disability exemption: dependents who cannot support themselves stay on the plan past the birthday.

Why D is correct

The ACA allows children to stay on a parent's health plan until their 26th birthday, but it carves out an exception for a child who is mentally or physically disabled and incapable of self-support. Such a dependent may remain covered beyond the age limit, because the disabled child cannot obtain coverage through employment. Group plans generally require proof of the disability and that it existed on or before the date the dependent would otherwise have lost eligibility.

Why the other options are wrong

• A) The disabled-dependent exception specifically permits continuation beyond age 26; the age limit is not automatic for these children.
• B) COBRA could apply at age loss, but the ACA exception keeps disabled dependents covered as dependents without relying on COBRA.
• C) Medicaid is not the only path; private plan continuation under the ACA exception is available for disabled dependents.

Memory hook

Disabled child cannot self-support = stays on the parent's plan past 26. Disability beats the age limit.