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Home » Questions And Answers » Can I legally add my 18 year old niece to my insurance plan?

Can I legally add my 18 year old niece to my insurance plan?

JustinAtkins1990

I am currently going through divorce, and my soon to be ex wife's 18 year old niece moved into my residence in Texas. She has no health insurance, and I did not have guardianship prior to that. Am I legally able to add her to my health insurance plan?

Parents
  • 0
    Hello, If you have coverage through your employer you will need to contact them to see if you can add this individual to your coverage.

    If you have an individual plan through the Marketplace you will need to call them to see if you can add this individual. If you have an individual plan through us directly you can contact our sales department at 855-604-1515 to see if you can add her to your plan. ~ Kayla
Reply
  • 0
    Hello, If you have coverage through your employer you will need to contact them to see if you can add this individual to your coverage.

    If you have an individual plan through the Marketplace you will need to call them to see if you can add this individual. If you have an individual plan through us directly you can contact our sales department at 855-604-1515 to see if you can add her to your plan. ~ Kayla
Children
  • 0 in reply to BCBSTX Connect Team

    On the BCBSTX forum, the response makes it clear that you cannot automatically add your 18-year-old niece to your health insurance plan just because she lives with you. The ability to add her depends on the type of plan you have:

    • Employer-sponsored plan: You must check with your employer to see if adding her is allowed.

    • Individual Marketplace plan: Contact the Marketplace to verify eligibility.

    • Direct individual plan with BCBSTX: You need to call their sales department at 855-604-1515.

    Since you don’t have legal guardianship, most standard policies won’t allow you to add a niece as a dependent by default. Coverage eligibility often requires a parent, legal guardian, or spouse relationship.

    In short, adding her isn’t automatically legal—you’ll need to verify with your specific plan and provider.

    Here’s the forum link for reference: BCBSTX Connect – Can I add my 18-year-old niece?

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