Since health care legislation was passed, health insurance companies have been committing to implement provisions from the legislation before the deadlines. Under the health care law, young adults will be able to stay on their parents’ health insurance plans until the age of 26 starting in September.
Just last week WellPoint, United HealthCare, Humana, Blue Cross Blue Shield plans and Kaiser Permanente announced they would allow young adults graduating this summer to stay on parents’ policies to avoid gaps in coverage. This will provide a lot of relief for many students and young adults who cannot afford the coverage.
Unfortunately, young adults whose parents are enrolled in the Federal Employee Health Insurance Program will not be eligible for this new benefit according to McClatchy Newspapers. They actually may not even see the benefits from this provision in reform until January.
The Office of Personnel Management made a statement saying, “Though we are eager to provide coverage to young adults prior to January 1, the current law governing the FEHB Program specifically prohibits us from doing so. ”
Currently the OPM provides coverage for dependents who are unmarried children under the age of 22. Therefore, once the OPM can enact the health care legislation into its health insurance policies, young adults under the FEHB plans will gain a lot of extended coverage.
Even though health insurance companies are offering the benefit to provide coverage for young adults before the effective date, employers do not have to change their health plans. Experts say that it is hard for companies to change employee benefits in the middle of the year and many companies will have to take on the extra cost of providing the coverage.
Either way, health insurance legislation will help many young adults receive coverage this summer they may have gone without.