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Young People Could Fall Through Cracks in Health Care Reform
Filed under: In The News
In your early 20s and worried about losing medical coverage? Maybe you should be. Credit: Getty Images
Under federal health care reform, young people can stay on their parents' medical insurance until age 26.
Cool?
Well, you may want to cool your jets. If you just graduated from college and are counting on Mom and Dad's health insurance to keep you covered until you get a job with benefits, sorry kid.
The Washington Post reports that insurance companies don't have to follow the new rule until a policy's first renewal date after Sept. 23. For some policies, that comes as soon as October.
Depending on your renewal date, however, you may have to wait until January -- or even May.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius called on insurance companies to be good eggs and comply with the law early. More than 60 major insurance companies said OK.
That might help. Some. But parents still need to be working for employers who are willing to play ball.
As the Post reports, bosses who contribute a share of the premium to cover a new graduate might not be keen on paying that extra, unanticipated expense.
Most workers with health coverage are employed by large companies that self-insure, the Post reports. That means the employer essentially acts like an insurance company. In other words, you better hope Mom or Dad has a nice boss.
The Post reports most new grads will not get back on their folks' health insurance any sooner than the new law requires.
The newspaper cites a study by Mercer, a benefits consulting firm, that surveyed 800 large and small companies last month and found 76 percent them were "not very" or "not at all" likely to comply early.
Among the uncooperative companies is the Defense Department. Almost 10 million active and retired service members and their families receive benefits through TRICARE.
The new rules don't apply to them.
Bruce Bramblet, a retired helicopter instructor for the Army who now works for Boeing in Seattle, tells the Post his son lost medical coverage last month after turning 21.
His son can get coverage through Boeing, but it's far less comprehensive than the military plan.
"I'm more than disappointed," Bramblet tells the Post. "I'm ticked off."
He says his son has had the same family doctors for 10 years.
"And now all of a sudden it's, 'You're out the door.' It was very confusing," he tells the newspaper.
Other families could be in for rude surprises, as well.
The Post reports roughly half of employer-based insurance plans charge a blanket family rate regardless of how many children are included on the plan.
Now, according to the paper, one in five insurance companies may start charging on a per-child basis.
Related: New York Moves to Require Insurance Companies to Cover Autism
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
6-29-2010 @ 6:54AM
smithley said...You guys should stop complaining cuz one the health care we have now isnt as good as it was supposed to be. also the law has just been signed give it a try u guys are too hard on democrats they went to college and we voted for most of these people.so if u want to say u have the right to choose tell that to ur congress men or state official. as for obama people are just tryin to make it look like america made a mistake he has done things to help us and we had a full 8 years of a terrible president and i will be so as happy as ever when a obama fixes bush's mistakes. You can find full medical coverage at the lowest price from www.bit.ly/9sfoMb obama has to put up with the wo0rld judging his every move and trying to fix the mess we are in we are lucky anyone wants to be our president. STOP COMPLAINING AND GIVE HIM A BREAK. i wanna see one of yall do what he sas done. some people are just so ignorant.
Reply
6-30-2010 @ 3:01AM
SKL said...Do you love the way they are acting like this is something we had before that's being taken away?
This is not going to be free! The companies need to restructure their fees to pay for it. Hello! Why should they pay for your deadbeat kid?
The vast majority of people that age shouldn't have significant health care needs. If they do, they need to get a job like everyone else, or check out one of many other options that are available. They will have to pay. How terrible! Gosh, what's this world coming to when we ask adults to pay for what they consume?
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7-13-2010 @ 3:36PM
Jody said...As a parent, I'd take what coverage is given for as long as possible. It seems like getting a job right out of college is getting harder and harder. Keeping "kids" on parents' coverage plans allows more the college graduate care without the indignity of going on welfare types of programs. All reform will have positives and negatives. In general college graduates need far less medical procedures and healthcare. So, okay, I'll play ball. I won't sing praises for less coverage, though.
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