2.5 million young American adults have health insurance through parents’ plans

Kevin Lyons

The Affordable Care Act, President Obama’s signature health care reform law, has allowed 2.5 million young American adults to have health insurance, according to figures released Dec. 14 by the White House.

The increase in coverage of young adults is 2½ times more than a government study released earlier this year had shown. That study indicated about 1 million Americans age 19 to 25 had gained coverage from September 2010 to June 2011 under a provision of the health care law.

Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, applauded the new figures and pointed to a family like the Houghs as beneficiaries of health care reform. Sebelius says the Houghs’ daughter, Natalie, suffered a heart attack at school and was diagnosed with a rare heart condition, requiring a lifetime of medication and care.

“Now, thanks to the health care law, Natalie can stay on her family’s plan and has started college,” says Sebelius, referring to the part of the law that allows children to stay on their families’ health insurance until age 26.

“More young adults in this country can now go on and live their lives with less worry about visiting their doctor when they get sick, or incurring catastrophic medical bills if they are in an accident. And for us parents, this lets us breathe a sigh of relief,” Sebelius says.