A new report released today by the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) shows that 3.1 million young adults have gained health
insurance because of the health care law. Without the health care law -
the Affordable Care Act - these 3.1 million young adults would not have
health insurance. As a result of the law, the proportion of insured
adults ages 19 through 25 has increased to nearly 75 percent.
The Affordable Care Act requires insurers to allow young adults to
remain on their parents' family plans until their 26th
birthday, even if they move away from home or graduate from school. This
policy took effect on September 23, 2010.
"Today, because of the health care law, more than 3 million more young
adults have health insurance," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
"This policy doesn't just give young adults and their families peace of
mind, it also gives them freedom. It means that as they begin their
careers, they will be free to make choices based on what they want to
do, not on where they can get health insurance."
Before the Affordable Care Act, young adults were the age group least
likely to have health insurance. Not only were young adults more likely
to be uninsured, they were also more than twice as likely as older
adults to lose private insurance coverage once they had it. Some young
adults lost coverage when they became too old to qualify as a dependent
on their parents' plans, and others lost coverage as they graduated from
school or changed jobs.