Can Children up to Age 26 Remain on Their Parent’s Health Insurance? – YES
General Reference (not clearly pro or con)
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Section 2714, “Extension of Dependent Coverage,” page 14, signed into law on Mar. 23, 2010, available at the Library of Congress website, states:
“(a) IN GENERAL.—A group health plan and a health insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage that provides dependent coverage of children shall continue to make such coverage available for an adult child until the child turns 26 years of age.”
Mar. 23, 2010 - Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (HR 3590)
PRO (yes)
Pro
Jeremy A. Lazarus, MD, President of the American Medical Association (AMA), stated the following in his June 28, 2012 article “AMA: Supreme Court Decision Protects Much-Needed Health Insurance Coverage for Millions of Americans,” available at the AMA website:
“The American Medical Association has long supported health insurance coverage for all, and we are pleased that this decision means millions of Americans can look forward to the coverage they need to get healthy and stay healthy…
This decision protects important improvements, such as ending coverage denials due to pre-existing conditions and lifetime caps on insurance, and allowing the 2.5 million young adults up to age 26 who gained coverage under the law to stay on their parents’ health insurance policies.”
Pro
The Huffington Post stated in its June 28, 2012 article “Health Care Reform Ruling Means Young Adults Can Stay on Parents’ Plans,” available at the Huffington Post website:
“As part of its landmark decision to uphold most of President Obama’s health care law, the Supreme Court kept a provision that allows adult children to stay on their parents’ health plans up until the age of 26…
The measure covering adult children, one of the most recognizable elements of Obama’s bill, would provide relief to young adults struggling to afford health insurance on their own.”
CON (no)
Con
[Editor’s Note: Based upon a neutral reading of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and bi-partisan third party analysis, this question seems to have a clear and obvious Pro (yes) answer, and ProCon.org has therefore presented the responses in a single column with no opposing perspective.]
