HHS Releases Regulations on Dependent Coverage
The administration has begun rulemaking on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPAC, health reform law) for provisions that take effect this year, and this week has released interim final rules regarding the extended coverage for young adults. This PPAC provision allowing families to keep adult children on their health plans or put them back on their health plans until their 26th birthday will be especially helpful for those with children graduating from college. Although many insurers have agreed to add it sooner, the dependent coverage has to be done by September 23rd.
The regulations published in the Federal Register Thursday also explain that there is an exception to the expanded coverage.
The provision "applies only to health insurance plans that offer dependent coverage in the first place: while most insurers and employer-sponsored plans offer dependent coverage, there is no requirement to do so," the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement Monday.
The announcement is part of the administration's effort to translate the new health-care law into more specific regulations. The full meaning of the sweeping legislation will not be known until the regulations are issued.
Watch for more information from ANCOR on this interim final rule.