Skip to main content

The Great-West Life Assurance Company, London Life Insurance Company and The Canada Life Assurance Company have become one company – The Canada Life Assurance Company. Discover the new Canada Life

The Great-West Life Assurance Company, London Life Insurance Company and The Canada Life Assurance Company have become one company – The Canada Life Assurance Company. Discover the new Canada Life

Your web browser is out-of-date. For the best experience, please update to a modern browser like Chrome, Edge, Safari or Mozilla Firefox.

Freedom 55 Financial is a division of The Canada Life Assurance Company and the information you requested can be found here.

Are you a member of the Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP) and looking for information about your benefits with Canada Life? Get details on the PSHCP Member Services website.

Oct. 2022 – 15 min read

When it comes to health insurance, your dependent can be your spouse or partner, and any children you have.

Your dependents are covered under your plan which means they could be entitled to benefits you might have through your workplace or a personal plan you hold.

FYI: This doesn’t happen automatically, so make sure you add any dependents at the same time you apply for coverage for yourself, or as they enter your life, such as when a child is born.

This may vary from plan to plan, but in general: 

Yes, but it must be your legal partner, whether that’s a spouse or common-law partner.  

In most cases, no. 

It can vary, but most plans allow you to keep your children on your plan until they turn 18 or 21, or up to 25 if they’re studying full-time at a recognized educational institution.

If they get married before this age, they’re generally no longer eligible for coverage under your plan.

Once you’ve taken out the initial policy, you’re usually only able to add more dependents if:

You get married or enter into a common-law relationship and now have a spouse to add 

Yes. This cost will vary depending on factors, including the age of your dependents. As you add or remove dependents over time, your premiums will reflect that change as well

This depends on whether you’re with a workplace plan or a personal insurance plan.

With a personal insurance plan, you can usually remove a dependent at any time.  

If you’re with a workplace plan, you can usually only remove them because of a major life event, like:

  • A child ages out of eligibility, like turning 26  
  • You get divorced or separated  
  • A dependent passes away

If you’re looking for personal health insurance, don’t forget to add your dependents when you take out your policy 

Related articles