Extended Coverage For Young Adult Dependents

The Affordable Care Act, the new health care reform law[1], requires group health plans and health insurance issuers that provide dependent coverage of children to continue to make such coverage available until the child turns 26 years of age.  On May 13, 2010 the three federal agencies primarily responsible for administering the Affordable Care Act (the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and the Treasury) issued interim final regulations on the new dependent coverage law. The law and regulations impose significant new obligations on group health plan sponsors and insurers that go into effect as early as October 1, 2010, including a requirement that health plans offer young adult children (and in some cases, their parents) a special enrollment opportunity effective as of the first plan year beginning on or after September 23, 2010.