WellPoint and UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s two largest health insurers, said they will begin allowing the uninsured up to age 26 to join their parents’ health plan ahead of the Sept. 23 deadline to comply with a provision of new federal health reform law.
WellPoint will begin extending coverage to young people on June 1. Many young adults lose their health benefits over the summer because they no longer qualify for student coverage.
The Indianapolis-based insurer said that its affiliated plans will automatically retain qualifying young people on their parents’ policies in the fully insured and individual group market. Self-insured clients will have the option of extending coverage before September as well.
UnitedHealth Group will extend the coverage to graduating college students up to age 26 also on June 1.
“We want students to graduate into a secure future, not the ranks of the uninsured, so we are working with employers to make sure these young adults have health coverage available to them ahead of the new requirements,” said Gail Boudreaux, president of UnitedHealthcare, in a statement.
The HHS is working with other health insurers to provide this benefit ahead of September, according to a news release.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed by President Barack Obama on March 23, requires health plans to allow adult children to stay on their parents’ employer-sponsored or individual plan until age 26.
