Health plans must keep young adults under the age of 26 on their parents’ health plans.

One of the first federal health care reform provisions to affect Americans is the new requirement that health plans allow dependents to remain on their parents’ plans until they turn 26. You must allow these young adults to stay on their parents' memberships even if they…

• Are financially independent

• Are not students

• Are married

• Are not living with the covered parents

• Are not living in Vermont

Though the new rule does not go into effect until plan renewals beginning October 1, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont decided to continue coverage through the summer for dependents under 26 that were covered by BCBSVT at the time PPACA (Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act) passed unless their employers asked us to do otherwise.

When your plan renews, you must offer employees the option of adding back any dependents who qualify under the new law.  PPACA also requires that you give employees notice of their rights 30 days before the renewal.  We will have notified members of BCBSVT through Vigor on your behalf, however you must also notfiy employees who have not opted for coverage.  Since we don't have contact information for those employees, you must make this notification.  We include sample language here.

This provisions of the law applies even to "grandfathered plans," or those in existence before March 23, when PPACA passed.  Those plans, however, may require that a covered dependent aged 19 to 25 does not have acces to employer-sponsored coverage other than a parent's plan.  BCBSVT will not administer this requirement for groups, but we suggest sample language for an attestation that you may have dependents sign.

For more information, please visit the links below.  

• The White House on Dependent Coverage
  
• FAQs about extending coverage to dependents up to age 26
• Bill Summary - Dependent Coverage