The question now being asked is how the new legislation will affect California and allowing dependent children to stay on their parents policy until age 26???

Q1: How does the Affordable Care Act help young adults?
Before the President signed the Affordable Care Act into law, many health plans and issuers could remove adult children from their parents’ policies because of their age, whether or not they were a student or where they lived. The Affordable Care Act requires plans and issuers that offer dependent coverage to make the coverage available until the adult child reaches the age of 26. Many parents and their children who worried about losing health insurance after they graduated from college no longer have to worry.

Q2: Right now I’m a young adult under the age of 26 and I’m on my parents plan now, but I’m scheduled to lose coverage soon. How can I keep my health insurance?
You have a number of options. First, check with your insurance company or call your local California Broker.  He/She should be well versed in the most up to date information.  In summar, private health insurance companies that cover the majority of Americans have volunteered to provide coverage for young adults losing coverage as a result of graduating from college or aging out of dependent coverage on a family policy. This stop-gap coverage, in many cases, is available now. Second, watch for open enrollment. Young adults may qualify for an open enrollment period to join their parents’ family plan or policy on or after September 23, 2010. Insurers and employers are required to provide notice for this special open enrollment period. Watch for it or ask about it. Finally, expect an offer of continued enrollment for plans that begin on or after September 23, 2010. Insurers and employers that sponsor health plans will inform young adults of continued eligibility for coverage until the age of 26. Young adults and their parents need not do anything but sign up and pay for this option.

Q3:  My situation is that I’m under the age of 26, and I used to be on my parents’ plan, but I recently lost this coverage because I graduated from college. Can I get coverage?
Yes. Check with your insurance company to see if they will provide that coverage to you now. If not, watch for the special open enrollment period and sign up then

Q4:Now that the regulation is published, are plans required to immediately enroll eligible young adults in their parents’ plan?
No. The law says that the extension of dependent coverage for children is effective for plan years beginning on or after 6 months after the enactment of the law – that means plan years beginning on or after September 23, 2010. However, the Administration has urged insurance companies and employers to prevent a gap in coverage for young adults aging off of their parents’ policy prior to this effective date. To date, over 65 insurers have volunteered to do so. You should check with your insurance company or employer to see if they are offering this coverage option.

Q5: Can plans or issuers who offer dependent coverage continue to impose limits on who qualifies based upon financial dependency, marital status, enrollment in school, residency or other factors?
No.  With Califoria Group Plans and issuers that offer dependent coverage must provide coverage until a child reaches the age of 26. There is one exception for group plans in existence on March 23, 2010. Those group plans may exclude adult children who are eligible to enroll in an employer-sponsored health plan, unless it is the group health plan of their parent. This exception is no longer applicable for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2014.