Health Coverage for Adult Children

It has been common practice over the years for children to be covered under their parents’ health insurance policies until they reach the age of 18. Many states are now altering their laws however and requiring that health insurance companies keep children insured even throughout their young adulthood; sometimes up to age 30. As the country is suffering from some serious health coverage issues, states are coming up with different methods to help relieve some of the burden of health insurance costs. It can be very difficult, even impossible for young adults to afford health insurance of their own. During this time they will be attending college, spending hours studying and even working full time jobs to help pay their bills. With this busy schedule they simply cannot afford medical insurance as well.

States are seeing this need for young adults to have access to health insurance and by having health insurance companies cover children throughout their young adulthood on their parents’ policies, they can help to waylay some of these costs. At the moment, about 22 states have agreed to this law and have put it in action, with many other states appearing to be following suit. These adult children will be eligible to remain on their parents’ policies whether they are attending college or not. Young adults are rapidly becoming the most commonly uninsured group in the country.

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There are many who disagree with this new law however, especially business owners who are worried about what this added cost will do to their already high health insurance rates. Many businesses provide healthcare to their employees not because they have to, but because it is something nice that they can do for them in order to produce loyalty in their employees. Now with this new law, they are worried that they may have to give up insuring their employees altogether. The younger generation is already having an increasingly difficult time leaving home and getting out on their own. While some see this as laziness or weakness on the part of the children, others see it as a result of skyrocketing college, insurance, rent, gasoline, and food costs.

In order for the law to cover a child, there are a few requirements that must be fulfilled. Although the law differs depending on the state that it is enacted in, there are a few common aspects of the law no matter which state has made it law. First of all, the child must be unmarried. Even if the child is living at home and married, he will not be eligible. The child must also be living with his or her parents. However, in some cases, a child that does not live with his or her parents may still be able to be placed on their medical coverage if they are financially dependant on their parents. The law covers adult children from ages 18 to 30 depending on the state; some states only promise coverage until the age of 25. While this law remains controversial, it looks as though it will soon be commonplace.

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