Repeal Repubs Would Strip Young People of their Health insurance
Washington,
Apr 21, 2010 -
News From House Democrats
Health Reform News: What Repeal Would Mean to America
For Immediate Release: April 21, 2010
Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sibelius announced that even more of the country’s largest health insurers have agreed to immediately implement a major reform initiative to allow young adults to stay on their parents coverage until they turn 26 years-old. The Age 26 provision ensures that young adults have quality, affordable health insurance choices and will ultimately help cover one in three young adults who are uninsured.
Despite this progress, House Republicans have promised to make the repeal of health insurance reform their top priority. The result of their radical and misguided scheme would be to turn back the clock to the old broken system, jeopardizing the health care young people will receive under their parents’ plan. So when Republicans like John Boehner, who enjoy excellent health care coverage, tout repealing health reform, this is one of the numerous reforms they would get rid of to appease the right wing of their base. Top House Democrats slammed Repeal Republicans for putting their political ambitions ahead of the health and economic security of young people and their parents:
· Rep. George Miller, Chairman - House Committee on Education & Labor (CA-07): “Are Republicans really willing to deny our young people their health care coverage just to score a few cheap political points? Repealing this new benefit would literally gamble the health of millions of college graduates and young workers who otherwise might not have access to affordable insurance. In my district alone, 55,000 young adults will be able to obtain coverage by being able to stay on their parents’ insurance plans until age 26. Especially in today’s economy, I’m proud to say that young people will no longer be denied health care coverage if they are unable to find a good job right out of college.”
· Rep. Frank Pallone, JR (NJ-06): “This is easily one of the most cost-effective and popular provisions of health care reform - and the Republicans want to deny parents and their children affordable access to insurance coverage. This is more evidence that the Republicans will do anything to block reform and to side with the insurance industry. ”
· Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CT-03): “Given how tough the job market is today, especially for new college graduates, the Republican opposition to the provision allowing young adults to remain on their parents’ health insurance policies until age 26 is impossible to understand. We need to provide stability and security to the next generation of America’s workforce. Repealing benefits such as these would be a grievous mistake, and the Republicans’ efforts to repeal the landmark health insurance reform legislation is a sadly misguided effort.”
· Rep. Paul Tonko (NY-21): “Private health insurance companies are moving ahead of their deadlines to allow young adults the opportunity to obtain health insurance. The reason they are doing this is because of the passage of health insurance reform. However, Republicans are dead set on repealing that law, the same law that enables young people who are without a job, through no fault of their own, to have a sense of stability and security in their health insurance coverage. Make no mistake about it, Republicans want to repeal advances for our nation’s young adults and replace it with the old way of doing business: padding big insurance providers pockets.”
Background:
HHS Secretary Sibelius Announces Growing List of Insurers That Will Provide Coverage for Young Adults under Age 26 - “I welcome the Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, Kaiser Permanente, and Humana to the growing list of insurers who are offering to continue health insurance for young adults graduating from college or aging out of their parents’ plan. This initiative, complementing the permanent policy in the Affordable Care Act, will enable young people to retain insurance coverage at an important moment as they begin their adult lives and launch their careers.” [04/20/2010]
LA Times: Three health insurers give many young adults a break - College students about to graduate and other young adults in danger of losing healthcare coverage under their parents' policies may get a break. Three of the nation's largest health insurers announced this week that young adults can remain under their parents' policies until Sept. 23, when a new federal law guarantees them coverage. UnitedHealthcare, WellPoint Inc. and Humana Inc. said they will not wait until President Obama's new healthcare reforms take effect. They include provisions allowing young adults to remain under their parents' health plans until age 26. Other companies may follow their lead, federal officials said. [04/21/2010]
NPR: Big Health Insurers Have A Gift For College Grads - Insurance giant United HealthCare said it would implement, as of today, a requirement of the new health care law that allows young adults who are no longer full-time students to remain on their parent's health plans until they reach the age of 26. WellPoint, too, announced it would do the same thing, effective June 1. The moves by two the nation's largest private insurers come months ahead of schedule. The law doesn't make that requirement effective until September. "This is one thing we should all just take off the table," said United spokesman Tyler Mason. United figures the change in policy could help at least 150,000 graduating seniors and their families from having to find temporary coverage between this spring and the time the new requirement becomes effective. [04/19/2010]
Wall Street Journal: WellPoint, Like UnitedHealth, Keeping Young Adults On Plans - The two largest U.S. health insurers are taking steps to keep young adults on their parents' policies before a new law requiring such action goes into effect, and the government is working to get others to do the same. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, citing the insurers' moves, said Monday her department is "working hard with other insurers on similar proposals" and sent a letter offering to work with them. WellPoint Inc. (WLP), the largest health insurer by medical membership, said Monday it would take steps to prevent a coverage gap that could otherwise leave many young adults uninsured. Its announcement closely followed a similar one from UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH), the largest health insurer by revenue. Each year in June, many young adults have become ineligible as dependents on their parents' health insurance policies because of their age or student status. The health overhaul signed into law last month will, as of late September, allow most adult children under age 26 to stay on their parents' policies. Without early action by health insurers, many graduating college students could face a coverage gap this summer, until the new provision goes into effect. [04/19/2010]
BizTimes Daily: WellPoint agrees to extend coverage to young adults - WellPoint Inc., the nation's largest health insurer, announced today it will voluntarily enact a key component of President Barack Obama’s health care reform to extend coverage for adult children of insured members before the mandate takes effect. Each year in June, millions of young adults are no longer eligible as dependents on their parents' insurance policies because of their age, student status or other factors. Health care reform legislation, signed into law last month, will extend the dependent age for coverage to 26 for plan years beginning Sept. 23, 2010. As such, many individuals would face a coverage gap during the months before this provision is fully implemented. As a proactive measure, WellPoint's affiliated health plans, working in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and state regulators, will allow young men and women to remain on their parents' policies before the health care reform provision takes effect. [04/19/2010]
Business Courier of Cincinnati: UnitedHealth, WellPoint extend young adult coverage - UnitedHealthcare and WellPoint announced Monday that they will extend the health coverage that graduating college students or other young adults currently have under their parents’ plans until the new health reform provision requiring dependent coverage up to age 26 is fully implemented. Minneapolis-based UnitedHealth (NYSE: UNH) said in its announcement that, as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, graduating college students can stay on their parents’ employer-offered or individual family health plans until they turn 26. That extension begins Sept. 23. Indianapolis-based WellPoint (NYSE: WLP), in a separate news release, announced a similar plan that also includes young adults who aren't recent graduates. The company said the program doesn't apply to self-insured clients. Both insurers' plans will take effect June 1. [04/19/2010]
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Congressman Chris Van Hollen
