Young adults make insurance coverage gains under health law

Data from the Department of Health and Human Services estimate that 2.5 million young adults have remained on their parents' health insurance plans as a result of the 2010 health law.

Los Angeles Times: Millions Of Young Adults Getting Coverage Under New Health Care Law
The health care law signed by President Obama last year has now helped as many as 2.5 million young adults get health insurance over the last year despite the lagging economy, new data released by the federal government indicates (Levey, 12/14).

The Wall Street Journal: Under-26 Gain Insurance Under Health-Care Overhaul
About 2.5 million young adults have gained health insurance coverage since the health overhaul law let people stay on their parents' plan until they turn 26, according to government figures released Wednesday. The results could help President Barack Obama's re-election campaign boost support among young voters, whose turnout figures to be crucial to his winning a second term. While the 2010 overhaul law remains unpopular with voters overall, the young-adult insurance extension has emerged as a rare selling point liked even by opponents of the law (Radnofsky, 12/15).

Kaiser Health News: Capsules: HHS: 2.5 Million Young Adults Now Covered, Exceeding Projections
An estimated 2.5 million young adults have gained health insurance coverage since the 2010 health law took effect, according to a new government survey – a finding the Obama administration is embracing as it continues efforts to communicate the health's law's benefits, even as the public's opinion about the law remains mixed (Torres, 12/14).

Reuters: Health Law Keeps 2.5 Million Young Adults Insured
U.S. health care reforms have enabled 2.5 million young adults to remain in their parents' health insurance plans, the U.S. government said on Wednesday, up from 1 million reported earlier this year. Federal officials fully credited the gains to the Affordable Care Act, legislation championed by President Barack Obama that took effect last year and is deemed the biggest overhaul of the U.S. health care system in nearly 50 years (Pierson and Selyukh, 12/14).

NPR: Health Law A Boon To Coverage Of Young Adults
There's at least one group for whom the Affordable Care Act would appear to be a big success: young adults under age 26. They can now stay on their parents' health plans thanks to the law. As many as 2.5 million young adults gained health insurance coverage between Sept. 30, 2010, when the provision took effect, and June 2011, says a study from the National Center for Health Statistics. The latest numbers are considerably larger than those reported in September, when the Census Bureau reported a reduction in the number of uninsured younger adults, and a separate report that month, also from the NCHS (Rovner, 12/14).

Modern Healthcare: Coverage Gains Touted; Cost Fears Aired
The Obama administration touted 2.5 million young adults gaining employer-provided health insurance coverage through provisions in the 2010 health care overhaul, but companies are worried such provisions accelerate the rising cost of coverage. The coverage increase primarily stems from a provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that allows young adults to stay on their parents' insurance plans from 19 through 26, according to an HHS report (Daly, 12/14).