NPAF commends extension of health care coverage for young adults

National Patient Advocate FoundationMay 14 2010

NPAF Participated in White House Conference Call Announcing New Coverage Regulation under the "Affordable Care Act"

The National Patient Advocate Foundation (NPAF) – a national, non-profit organization dedicated to the mission of creating avenues of improved patient access to health care through public policy reform at the state and federal levels – today praised the Obama Administration for extending health care coverage for young adults under the new "Affordable Care Act" through a new provision allowing them to stay on their parents' health insurance plans until age twenty-six. This proposed regulation will affect an estimated 1.2 million Americans.

Prior to the President's signing of the Affordable Care Act, most health insurers removed young adults from their parents' policies due to age and/or student status, leaving many without insurance. Insurability often continues to be a concern for children and parents after college since not all employers provide coverage and many young adults cannot afford coverage on their own.  Due in part to these reasons, young adults in their twenties account for the majority of the uninsured population.

"By issuing these proposed regulations, the Administration has taken an important step in protecting all patients, particularly young adults who often go without health insurance and hope that they stay healthy," said Nancy Davenport-Ennis, Founder and CEO of NPAF. "NPAF will continue to work diligently with the Administration and Congress to ensure that patients across the nation are protected from healthcare discrimination and are afforded the added security of healthcare coverage."

NPAF and PAF staff had the opportunity to participate in the White House conference call when the announcement was made. Some of the other key highlights discussed on the call include:

• Young adults have less access to employer-sponsored health coverage than any other age group.
• People in their twenties are twice as likely to be uninsured than any other age group.
• Under the Affordable Care Act parents can now keep their young adult children on their insurance plans through age 26 beginning on September 23, 2010.
• Sixty-five major insurance companies are offering this extended coverage effective immediately to avoid another round of young college graduates facing disenrollment.
• This Act does not provide a retroactive benefit and therefore does not require insurers to cover young adults under age 26 who had been previously disenrolled from a parent's policy.

"The Affordable Care Act was signed only seven weeks ago, but we have already witnessed major progress," said Davenport-Ennis. "These ongoing positive changes will cover more than a million of our nation's young adults. National Patient Advocate Foundation commends the support from every major insurance company and several self-insured organizations that have agreed to provide coverage to young adults without health insurance this summer."