.
Feedback

Kohl Blog: Health Coverage for Young Adults

Children can be covered under family health insurance policies until they turn 26 years old.

This spring, many families are preparing for an upcoming graduation. As you or your loved ones get ready for this momentous and exciting occasion, I want to make sure you know about changes that allow children to remain covered under family health insurance policies until they turn 26 years old.

This is essential because it can be difficult for young adults to find health insurance. Many entry level jobs don't provide health benefits, and the jobs that do offer insurance often don't provide great coverage at an affordable cost. Additionally, some young adults simply don't think about health insurance or the need for it. As a result, young adults are persistently the least likely to have health coverage of any age group. This is a problem not only for young Americans without health insurance, but also for overall health care costs because they are more likely to forego preventive services and end up in the emergency room for more expensive care that drives up expenses for all of us. 

This problem is improving. In fact, as of a year ago, roughly one-third of all young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 were uninsured. Fortunately, that percentage is steadily dropping as a result of this new benefit. Now 2.5 million more young Americans are covered by health insurance, including more than 27,000 in Wisconsin, and I want to make sure that you know the necessary details of the provision.

Children under the age of 26 qualify for this benefit even if they are married, not living at home, or not claimed as dependents for tax purposes. The provision extends to adult children whether they are enrolled full-time in school or not, and in most cases, parents can add children to their plan even if their kids are offered health coverage through their own employer. If you need additional information about health coverage for young adults—or for anyone else—I would encourage you to visit www.healthcare.gov. On this website you can also find additional information about other new protections and laws that hold health insurers accountable. For example, the new law also bans insurance companies from dropping young adults when they get sick or have an accident. And, for young adults in new plans there’s free coverage of key preventive services.

Newsletter & Alerts

Get the best stories each day and important breaking news

Subscribe

Not from Oak Creek Patch? Find your Local Patch »

Nancy Hall March 21, 2012 at 12:16 am
@Kym....the Affordable Care Act calls for Medicaid expansion to include all people at 133% or less of poverty level. We live in a state with an extreme right wing government, however, and the state has to enact the necessary changes. I wouldn't expect to see Walker follow through any time soon. The Republicans are fighting Medicaid expansion, and other aspects of healthcare reform, in the U.S. Supreme Court right this minute.
Steve March 21, 2012 at 12:21 am
Stop the money spigot Herb. Thank you for raising my insurance rates and forcing us all to buy a product.
Bren March 21, 2012 at 01:06 am
The Affordable Care Act is/will benefit a number of my relatives and I am very appreciative of that.
Hudson Resident March 21, 2012 at 01:19 am
Heck Herb, if it's a good thing to raise the age to 26, then why not 36 or 46? Why stop at 26? Give us more Herb! Give us more! I love it when the government "provides" for us!
Nancy Hall March 21, 2012 at 01:20 am
@ Steve...Herb Kohl didn't raise your insurance rates. If your health insurer raised your rates, complain to them. If you already buy health insurance, why are you complaining about being forced to buy health insurance?
Bren March 21, 2012 at 01:50 am
Hudson Resident, the parents have the opportunity to keep their offspring on their health insurance policy until age 26. Depending on the policy, full-time college students could remain on the parents' policy until age 22. Especially in this economy, the extra years of health coverage for adult offspring are a welcome relief for many parents.
Hudson Resident March 21, 2012 at 01:58 am
So why not another 10 or 20 years on the policy then Bren? Wouldn't that be even better?
Bren March 21, 2012 at 02:24 am
If you're not paying for it, why should you care, Hudson?
James R Hoffa March 21, 2012 at 03:17 am
Attention Fellow Walker Backers - This Is A Call To Arms:
Proudly show your support for Governor Scott Walker, Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, and our fellow State Senators at a rally being held at Brookfield Square Mall this Saturday, March 24th from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. For more information on this event, brought to you by the same grassroots team that organized the highly successful 'Celebrate Walker' rally, please visit the official homepage for the event here: http://www.facebook.com/events/307338025994069/ Hope to see you all there!!!
Keith Schmitz March 21, 2012 at 11:29 am
Theoretically most of these kids are good risks.
So what's your plan? Leave these kids exposed to financial hazard at a young age so right off the bat they are saddled with paying back any medical bills they incur?
Keith Schmitz March 21, 2012 at 11:31 am
First off, what are you doing on a southeastern Wisconsin site? Are you getting paid to do this?
This is a matter of spending money to save money. Rational people do it all the time. How do you like being the one county in the western world that spends much more money to get a lot less care and crappy results? You good with that?
Keith Schmitz March 21, 2012 at 11:32 am
Of course it would be better, but these things have to be done gradually, but we know what you want is to not do them at all for some really stupid reason.
Keith Schmitz March 21, 2012 at 11:33 am
Yeah, join the Peeing on the American Dream rally. Brownshirts optional.
What did you earn for that post James. Ten cents?
Bob McBride March 21, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Someone please explain to Keith how "The Patch" works. He's only been on here about a year.
Micheal Foley March 21, 2012 at 12:24 pm
Hi Keith. Sen. Kohl's blog posts are cross-published on several Wisconsin Patch sites, including the one I run up here in Hudson.
Mike March 21, 2012 at 12:30 pm
You know, I am sick of comments like this. For one do your parents or grandparents need social security and Medicare just to make ends meet with their finances and health. Most elderly do and this is a government program that works for most seniors or disabled Americans. I own a health care clinic and applaud that most of my patients can carry insurance to cover my costs. I don't expect you to walk into Pick n Save with $10 and bring $100 worth of groceries and just say write off the balance. That is what I do, all the time. I am independent not owned by Aurora or ProHelth Care so we need the income to pay the bills. Education, healthcare and financial stability is what makes America prosper. In this state we have managed to degrgate each one of these to nothing. The consequences are dire. There are programs as Americans we should have and deserve and should be entitled to from our government for the tax burden we have. I am sure Hudson that if we took moms ssi away and made her purchase her own private insurance, you as a child would be the one to take care of them. Thank you Herb for using "common sense". If the GOP had it their way we all would be in soup lines, uninsured and uneducated because people like you demand we cut these programs. I say as a great society we enact programs like these so people can prosper and not fall on their face.
Mike March 21, 2012 at 12:43 pm
Funny thing is they could have 100 Walker rallies and it would not come even close to a weekend in Madison where there have been numbers in the tens of thousands. Walkers battle cry has dwindled down from a roar (not sure it even got that big) to a little meow. The titanic has just about sunk. A few more months and this state returns to prosperity and not the roadkill that has been left behind by the GOP that continues to sell their souls to the devil for pennies. I can't wait for Scooter to call the Koch Bros crying he lost the election because they did not give him enough money. His ads are not working and once the ads start to kick in from the opposition his numbers will continue to decline. He has done nothing good for the state of Wisconsin, all bad and every cut he makes to BadgerCare, every dollar he uses from the foreclosure money to balance his budget and every teacher that gets laid off is one less vote for Walker. Keep up the good work Scooter.
James R Hoffa March 21, 2012 at 02:28 pm
@Keith -
I only earned the satisfaction of knowing how you'll be thinking of all of us Walker Backers at the Square this entire weekend! First the AFP summit, then Walker Backers at the Square - what an awesome Saturday! I suppose you'll be spending the day brushing up on your drum banging and plastic horn blowing skills, as they're a little rust! @Mike - Yup, you guys are pretty good at showing up to protest in Madison, there's no doubt about it! Not to mention your side's affinity for providing China with a perpetual order of drums and plastic horns to use at those protests. While our side isn't very big on theatrics, we do tend to save our biggest rallies for election day, when we all rally to the polls! Cheers!
James R Hoffa March 21, 2012 at 02:31 pm
Too funny!
Steve March 21, 2012 at 02:55 pm
Bren: I expect a return on my investment on your relatives health.
Nancy: Doesn't sound like you understand how all of this works. Forcing private insurance providers to increase coverage increases costs. Herb is directly responsible for this with his vote. I said forcing us all to buy a product as in if you do not have health insurance when this all kicks in you will have to purchase it or face fines or jail time. Keith: Personal responsibility and all. Spending $100 at the bar, monthly cell phone bill, TV bill, internet bill, car payment, etc instead of getting $115/mo insurance is a choice.
Steve March 21, 2012 at 03:01 pm
As James pointed out, you can have your temper tantrum all day in Madison with all the college kids and government leeches you can find. When it comes down to reality we have made a lot of progress in the past year and get to vote for Walker again, resetting his term.
Nancy Hall March 21, 2012 at 07:06 pm
@Steve....I do understand how all this works. I'm fully aware and very grateful that Herb Kohl voted for the health insurance mandate. I think that doctors and hospitals and other provider have carried the uninsured for way too long. The expectation that providers would write off the costs of treatment to people with no money and no insurance is one of the major flaws in our system.
There will be affordable options for people at all income levels, with subsidies for people up to 400% of poverty. There's no excuse for anyone not to have health insurance. I also understand that my kids are very low risk subscribers. My insurer used to kick them off at age 18 unless they were in college. Once I get done paying for their additional coverage, which will amount to about 7 years at $300 a month, I will have given my insurer about $25,200 for their coverage and I'll bet they won't even spend $1,000 on healthcare between the two of them. My insurer will make out just fine in this particular deal.
Caitlin Scherbert March 22, 2012 at 03:08 am
As a student it's a weight off my back to not have to find and pay for insurance. I really appreciate that the government Is offering benefits to the younger members of society. I'll admit I don't know everything about politics but I do believe that no matter what political party you affiliate with, you should support young people. As cliche as it is, the kids of today will be tomorrows leaders. Do we really want to send then into a struggling world loaded with debt?
Rick March 24, 2012 at 02:27 pm
to compare the obama care to SSI payments seems silly at first, but i think Mike has a point. When SSI was created in the 30's it was a supliment to someones retirement... now it is for kids, divorced spouses, a complete retirement plan, medical, and soo much more. What do u think will happen with the medical coverage? Will it be expanded like every other federal program? Of course. And we all know we dont pay enough to support the poor and the government is the only option... Damn shame my work ethic prevents me from living the good life on the tax payers dime...
GearHead March 24, 2012 at 02:44 pm
Hey Sen Kohl, instead of passing out more candy (whithout any idea of how to pay for it) why not roll up your sleeves and put forth a budget before you retire? Haven't had one in over three years, and 26 year old adult children (or is it child adults, i forget) glomming health care isn't helping!!!!!
Randy1949 March 24, 2012 at 03:52 pm
@GearHead -- Candy? Really? Access to healthcare is not 'candy', and working adults wouldn't have to 'glom' onto it if employers offered it and it was available at a reasonable price that even people with an entry-level job could afford.
The problem is that the whole system is corrupt -- employer-based with no obligation for employers to provide it, and insurance companies allowed to cherry-pick their customers to maximize profits and run up the cost for everyone else.
Randy1949 March 24, 2012 at 04:00 pm
@Rick -- Social Security was always a widows and orphans pension plan in addition to the 'supplement' for a retiree's pension and savings. Divorced spouses only get benefits if they have been married long enough to qualify and they are of retirement age. And in the case of multiple spouses, they share.
Medicare is something different, only available since 1965, and instituted because for-profit health insurance had become too expensive for older people to afford on their own. The situation has hardly improved. I'm so glad you have a work ethic. Just understand that some people never had the option of working -- that would include the disabled from birth and retirees. We're all paying the cost of everyone's medical care through higher hospital costs and insurance premiums. We might as well make it more efficient.
Nancy Hall March 25, 2012 at 02:36 am
@ GearHead...Nobody is "glomming" healthcare. This isn't free. My former employer and I I have to pay premiums for my kids to stay on my insurance. Once my kids are off my insurance, I will no longer be paying for family coverage and my portion of the premiums will go down about $300 a month.
jf September 24, 2012 at 04:52 am
In addition, the results of health services research can lead to greater efficiency and equitable delivery of health care interventions, as advanced through the social model of health and disability, which emphasizes the societal changes that can be made to make population healthier. Thanks.
Regards, http://www.hcg1234.com/ | hcg1234
fgdf September 25, 2012 at 12:31 pm
Health care recruiters can match the health care workers with the professional situation that works well for them, satisfying health care workers and their clients while earning a good living. Thanks a lot.
Regards, http://www.ipc-athletics.org/
Note Article
Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
Kathy123 June 19, 2013 at 11:39 pm
too bad they could not do more of the trees, while those 125 get treated many are not and it stillRead More spreads