Qustion about young adults staying on parents' insurance

[rainbow4321]

Does the young adult have to be living with the parent? My 23 yr old daughter is about to go on a 4 month national tour with a group (she does backstage work) and then most likely move back to NYC where she lived from Feb. 2010 til Sept 2010.

Can I put her back on my insurance--she was on it til she graduated in May 2009.
The jobs that she had/has don't offer insurance.

[fairfaxvadem]

1. no restrictions

Does not have to live at home, does not have to be claimed as a dependent, can even be married - the spouse is not covered. As long as their employer does not offer insurance (if the employer does, and the child refuses it, right now you can't cover them).

[rainbow4321]

2. You have made my day!

:hug:

You have no idea...oh my gosh.

I had placed a call to my employer's benefits dept last week and said "ya know...that new law kicks in next week" and they acted like they really didn't wanna hear it, they said "no, no, we have to see the criteria"..
They have their annual open enrollemnt in November so I asked them "soooo...we have to wait til open enrollment to know more and they responded "yes".

[fairfaxvadem]

3. in addition...

Insurance companies cannot charge a premium for adding these children (back) on to your policy or limit what they cover - they have to be treated as any other child, UNLESS, you have a tiered premium plan, so example: H&W + 2 kids = X premium rate, H&W + 3 or more kids = Y premium rate. If this adult child pushes you to Y because you've only had 2 children to insure for the last few years, then you will likely see a premium increase. That is permissible.

All in all, not a bad deal.

[taterguy]

4. Unless he's wrong

Which happens sometimes when you ask for advice on a message board.

[subterranean]

6. In this case, the respondent is not wrong. NT

[fairfaxvadem]

7. or unless "she" (me) has read the regs 20 times this summer for work...

Go check out the regs on the Federal Register on this particular piece of the legislation - they're very straightforward. Or, if you doubt me, there is the handy-dandy link called: healthcare.gov, from which we find the following:

Provisions
Coverage of Young Adults under Age 26

Covering Young Adults Under the Affordable Care Act

Under the Affordable Care Act, if your plan covers children, you can now add or keep your children on your health insurance policy until they turn 26 years old.

What This Means for You:

Until now, health plans could remove enrolled children usually at age 19, sometimes older for full-time students. Now, most health plans that cover children must make coverage available to children up to age 26. By allowing children to stay on their parents’ plan, the Affordable Care Act makes it easier and more affordable for young adults to get health insurance coverage.

Your adult children can join or remain on your plan whether or not they are:

* married;
* living with you;
* in school;
* financially dependent on you;
* eligible to enroll in their employer’s plan, with one temporary exception: Until 2014, “grandfathered” group plans do not have to offer dependent coverage up to age 26 if a young adult is eligible for group coverage outside their parents’ plan.

Some Important Details:

* Your plan is required to provide a 30-day period—no later than the first day of your plan’s next “plan year” or “policy year” that begins on or after September 23, 2010—to allow you to enroll your adult child. Your plan must notify you of this enrollment opportunity in writing.
* If you enroll your adult child during this 30-day enrollment period, your plan must cover your adult child from the first day of that plan year or policy year.

[MikeW]

5. yes until she turns 26