Students & Young Adults
Health Insurance for College Students & Young Adults in Utah
Turning 26, graduating, getting married, coming home from a mission, or starting your first business — every one of those moments changes your health coverage options. This is your plain-English guide to all of them, from a local, licensed advisor whose help is always free.
Start Here
Your coverage options, in plain English
If you're between 18 and 26, you generally have four possible sources of health coverage: a parent's plan (until you turn 26), your school's student health plan (if it offers one), Utah Medicaid (if your income is under about 138% of the federal poverty level), or an ACA Marketplace plan through healthcare.gov — often with a premium tax credit that makes it far cheaper than the sticker price.
Which one is right depends on your age, income, tax situation, and what's about to change in your life. The guides below walk through each situation. And if you'd rather just ask a person: our help is free — advisors are paid by the insurance carriers, so you pay the same premium either way.
Find Your Situation
Guides for every student & young-adult situation
Turning 26 & Losing a Parent's Coverage
The single biggest coverage deadline of your twenties. What actually happens, when coverage ends, and your 60-day enrollment window.
Read the guideAfter Graduation
Your options in the gap between graduation and your first job with benefits — and what to do if that job never offers any.
Read the guideSubsidies for Students
Most students with modest income qualify for real help. How premium tax credits work when you're in school — and how your parents' taxes change the math.
Read the guideMarried Students
Marriage is a qualifying life event. What newlywed students in Utah need to know about combining coverage and household income.
Read the guideReturning Missionaries
Coming home from a mission triggers a special enrollment window. How RMs get covered fast — even outside Open Enrollment.
Read the guideBYU & UVU Students
Local guides for Utah County students: campus plans, waivers, Medicaid, and Marketplace options in Provo and Orem.
Read the guideOr browse by campus: every Utah & Wyoming college and university
The Basics
Five things every young adult should know
You can stay on a parent's plan until 26
Federal law lets you stay on a parent's health plan until you turn 26 — even if you're married, in school, financially independent, or living in another state (though the plan's network may not travel with you).
Low income usually means real help
In Utah, adults with income up to about 138% of the federal poverty level qualify for Medicaid. Above that, ACA Marketplace subsidies phase in. A student earning part-time income often pays far less than the full premium — sometimes very little.
Your parents' taxes matter
If your parents claim you as a tax dependent, subsidy eligibility is based on their household income — not just yours. Whether you're claimed as a dependent is one of the first questions to answer.
Under 30? Catastrophic plans exist
People under 30 can buy Catastrophic plans: low premiums, high deductibles, real protection against worst-case bills. The catch: premium tax credits can't be applied to them, so a subsidized Bronze or Silver plan is often the better deal.
Deadlines are everything
Open Enrollment runs November 1 – January 15 each year. Outside that window, you need a qualifying life event — turning 26, losing coverage, marriage, a move — which opens a 60-day Special Enrollment Period. Miss your window and you may wait months for coverage.
Why Ask Us
Free, local, and honest about what you don't need
Jenkins Insurance & Retirement is an independent practice in Utah. We're not tied to one carrier, we don't charge you anything, and we'll tell you plainly when the answer is "stay on your parent's plan" or "you qualify for Medicaid — you don't need to buy anything."
If a Marketplace plan is the right fit, we handle the comparison and the paperwork, and you pay exactly the same premium you'd pay enrolling alone on healthcare.gov.
Not sure where you fit? Ask — it's free.
A 15-minute conversation is usually enough to know your options, your deadline, and roughly what coverage will cost you. No pressure, no obligation, no fee — ever.