Pennsylvania Law Allows Younger Workers to Stay on Parents' Policies

12/8/2009

A recently-signed Pennsylvania law could end up serving as a model for other states as they try to reduce the number of uninsured young people.

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell announced this week that he has signed healthcare reform legislation that includes a provision allowing parents to keep their adult children on their policies in some circumstances until the age of 30.

"This new law helps to ease some of the stress families are experiencing due to recent college grads having trouble finding a job that offers health benefits. It takes us one step closer to achieving our goal of providing every Pennsylvanian with access to the health care they want, need and deserve," said Rendell.

Rendell noted that before the current law took effect, health insurance companies were only required to keep young people on their parents' policies until age 19, provided they had an employer-sponsored plan that offered dependent coverage.

The new law will apply to single young adults who either reside in Pennsylvania or who are full-time students, although the parents will still apparently for any additional premium costs that may be incurred as a result. As is the case in many other states, younger workers are said to make up the highest percentage of Pennsylvania's uninsured population.

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