<p>As a federal employee we have good coverage although with our older daughter, coverage ended 30 days after she turned 22. She was in grad school so coverage through the university plan was not all that expensive. Our younger daughter graduates in May and she turns 22 in August,so I will be watching how quickly this will go into effect. Our older daughter will be graduating from grad school and so far has an adjunct teaching position in her program so we’ll see exactly what her situation is come August-she turns 25 in November. I only hope that federal employees are not excluded. When NYS passed a law mandating extended coverage earlier this year, it did not apply t us because it was a federal gov’t employee plan…</p>
<p>bookmama22–we have two kids recently graduated from college (2008, 2009) who were on Tricare (military) coverage. One is a grad student and one unemployed. Although they both lived in states where the law extended the ages they could stay on parents’ plans to protect these young adults, we too were ineligible. </p>
<p>We are now paying hundreds of dollars more each month for private plans for them and our premiums with Tricare are the same as before (my husband has me listed as a dependent spouse). I am very curious to understand how military families will be affected and are hoping they ARE affected. It was disappointing to know that many states took better care of their people than the military/federal did for health care for this age group.</p>
<p>I would love to hear from anyone who may know how this new provision will affect military/federal employees’ families??</p>
<p>It is my guess that this “coverage for up to age 26” will have more loopholes than the average Swiss Cheese. </p>
<p>No government workers, no military workers, no self insured employers…and on and on. My guess is this list is the tip of the iceberg.</p>
<p>If the REAL intent was that all young adults who don’t otherwise have coverage up to age 26 would have health insurance, NO EXEMPTIONS would be allowed…period.</p>
<p>Guess that’s a pipe dream.</p>
<p>This is what Pres. Obama just said in Iowa:
“For all the students here today, starting this year, if you don’t have insurance, all new plans and some current ones will allow you to stay on your parents’ insurance policy until you’re 26 years old. Because as you start your lives and your careers, the last thing you should worry about is whether you’ll go broke just because you get sick.”</p>
<p>Does that mean if you are on a plan already, it may not cover kids up to 26?
The bill’s language doesn’t seem to make a distinction between new and existing plans…it says:
‘SEC. 2714. EXTENSION OF DEPENDENT COVERAGE.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A group health plan and a health insurance
issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage that
provides dependent coverage of children shall continue to make
such coverage available for an adult child (who is not married)
until the child turns 26 years of age. "</p>
<p>then there is the reconciliation bill:
Reconcilation Act</p>
<p>(ii) ADULT DEPENDENT COVERAGE.For plan years beginning before January 1, 2014, the provisions of section 2714 of the Public Health Service Act (as added by this subtitle) shall apply in the case of an adult dependent with respect to a grandfathered health plan that is a group health plan only if such dependent is not eligible to enroll in an eligible employer-sponsored health plan (as defined in section 5000A(f)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) other than such grandfathered health plan.. </p>
<p>(b) CLARIFICATION REGARDING DEPENDENT COVERAGE.Section 2714(a) of the Public Health Service Act, as added by section 1001(5) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, is amended by striking (who is not married).</p>
<p>Which seems to mean that kids on existing plans will be covered, if they are not eligible for employer coverage on their own?</p>
<p>I found this online:
It does not matter if the child is a dependent, if the child is attending college or even if the child is married. The only exception for group plans is if the child is eligible to enroll in another employers coverage (but only for plan years beginning before January, 2014). The Senate bill required the child to be unmarried but the reconciliation bill removes that language. The law also contemplates employer contributions because there is a clear statement that such contributions will be included as income to the child unless he or she is a dependent of the employee. However, it appears that the intent for this employer contribution not to be imputed income and changes are being made in the Reconciliation legislation. Generally speaking, the intent was to cover these children just as any younger child is covered under the employer plan.</p>
<p>For group health plans this change can be significant as new children come under plan coverage. Employers who recently audited such coverage may be required to notify their employees that dropped children can be reinstated as of January 1, 2011. In order to avoid what may be a financial hardship for workers employers may want to consider initiating this process in advance of 2011. In addition, this will change the scope of COBRA as previously COBRA beneficiaries are returned to the active group.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Betcha that those who work for self insured employers are not going to get this coverage. Just a bet.</p>
<p>hm. That may be the case, because it is not specifically referenced. Maybe that’s why Obama’s remark was hedged on the coverage…It does seem, though, that those on group plans currently would qualify to remain on plans until 26.</p>
<p>I on your wavelength, thumper1.
Our son will be 24 in June, a dependent, unmarried grad student.
I would LOVE for my self insured employer plan to invite him back on the rolls.
But I’m not holding my breath.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>My daughter is currently part of our health insurance group plan. My employer self insures. I would LOVE to know this answer. It means the difference in whether I need to buy a plan for her or not. She is graduating this year. My family plan is paid throught Sept 1. I would Cobra her for the 23 days between Sept 1 and 23 (Sept 23 is six months from when this was signed).</p>
<p>BUT I can’t get a straight answer from anyone…(you guys are trying…but really we just don’t know). I’ve written to my HR person, the state insurance commissioner, and the broker who handled my son’s individual health insurance policy. NO ONE knows the answer.</p>
<p>What good is ANY bill for which the provisions are NOT clear?</p>
<p>thumper - I went back to the self insured institutes website and </p>
<p>ta da!! I found this</p>
<p>
</code></pre>
<p>They tried to get excluded but it didn’t work. I’d call that office with questions. They have already scheduled seminars for their members to explain the changes.</p>
<p>edited to add link <a href=“Home | Self-Insurance Institute of America, Inc.”>Home | Self-Insurance Institute of America, Inc.;
<p>Thanks Cartera!! I’ve already sent it to the HR folks at my place of employment. I suspect they will be surprised!!</p>
<p>They are the cheapest people on the planet.</p>
<p>The punchline…I PAY the fully insured rate…not the cheaper self insured rate. It was negotiated into our contract that way…and they just take the extra money claiming they “need it”…for what. They have stop loss coverage if they overexpend and their self insured account has quite the surplus in it.</p>
<p>I am still not finding anything that spells out what “dependent” means, other than that the son or daughter is not offered a health insurance policy from his/her employer. Does he have to live in the home? What if he has NOT been a dependent in the prior year, from an IRS point of view?</p>
<p>kr - the bill extends coverage for non-dependent children so you don’t have to worry about the definition of dependent. There is no requirement that they live at home.</p>
<p>My son turned 25 this month. He is a full time undergraduate student( on the 10 year plan).
Yesterday when I spoke with HR about putting him on Cobra I also inquired about the new law. I was told that because they self insure they are exempt and they do not intend to offer coverage until age 26. The employer is a large university/hospital. I am not sure what at what age they cut off dependants who are not full time students but I know they are very strict about full time status. You must be a matriculating student at an accredited college or university. I agree with an earlier post that seems like a swiss cheese bill. I am very disappointed.</p>
<p>fy…you are encountering what is in effect for NOW. The new provision does not go into effect until September 23. What you need to ask is if your son can re-enroll then. In the meantime, he’ll need coverage, I would guess. My “self insured” employer will not do anything about this until they are SURE there is a mandate to do so. Like yours…they are exempt…but apparently NOT in the new legislation that just passed. Stay tuned.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I believe that is true…they do not have to live at home. BUT I do think they need to continue coverage under their parents’ CURRENT plan…which would mean they would have coverage in the state in which the parents reside. Depending on the plan…some plans have options for coverage out of state. I know that I’m in CT and my kids while in college were covered by Anthem OOS. BUT the CT provision for continuing coverage (for those groups fully insured…not self insured) was pretty clear…they had to be in the same state as the parents. I wonder how the insurance industry and the law are handling THIS.</p>
<p>I’m still waiting for my HR folks to get back to me. I have until mid-May to declare who will be covered under my plan as of Sept 1. Their position on this is critical to me. I’m disgusted because my suspicion is they will delay making a decision until the last minute.</p>
<p>I read somewhere that the dependent has to have the parents address as their primary residence at least 6 mos of the year to qualify.</p>
<p>jym…DEPENDENTS have to have the same address. The new provision is for dependents AND kids who are no longer dependents. No provision for same address and they can even be married. They just cannot have access to health care coverage through their employer.</p>
<p>There have been several different statements about the “adult children” rule. As my older s doesnt live at home I took a careful look, an thats what it looked like. I will look again.</p>
<p>Why on earth would you WANT your adult child on your health insurance? Policies for young adults are not that expensive (at least in my neck of the woods). It was FAR cheaper to get the kids their own policies! And guess what? That makes THEM responsible, not me.</p>
<p>dmd-
Our family plan is for 3 or more. Same price for family of 3 as family of 4. So if we were able to add him, it wouldnt cost us a dime. Sweet deal.</p>