Health law allows more young adults to get health care - but with cost implications

Apr 15 2013

A study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute offers insights regarding the impact of the health law's provision allowing young adults to stay on their parents' health plans.  

The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire: Young Adults On Parents' Health Plans Cost More
Young adults who stayed on their parents' insurance plans under a popular provision in the federal health law incurred slightly higher health costs than young adults who had their own coverage, largely because they used more care for mental health, substance abuse and pregnancy, new research suggests (Radnofsky, 4/11).

Politico: ACA Allows More Young Adults To Get Treatment On Mental Health, Pregnancy
Millions of young adults with newfound coverage through the health care law are using it to meet a gaping need for mental health care and substance abuse treatment -; and access pregnancy care, too. A new study from the Employee Benefit Research Institute looks at the experience of one large national employer to get a feel for how the Affordable Care Act's rule allowing young adults to stay on their parents' plans up to age 26 is having an impact. Approximately 3.1 million young people nationwide have found coverage through this provision (Smith, 4/12).

Other coverage related to the health law's implementation -

WBUR: Here & Now: Sorting Out The Cost Of Obamacare (Audio)
Last month, the Society of Actuaries – the people who crunch statistics to come up with future predictions – released a study finding that insurance claims by individuals would soar 32 percent under the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare. That finding quickly turned into (inaccurate) headlines that premiums – the cost of individual insurance – would soar by 32 percent. Cost projections in the study vary widely from state to state (see infographic below). California's costs are projected to go up 62 percent, while New York's are expected to decrease by 10 percent (4/11).