Ask the Experts: Health Insurance, Coverage for College Graduates, You...

Health Coverage for a New College Graduate

Q. Will I be able to keep my son on my health insurance plan after he graduates from college this summer? He’s 22. A. Most likely. A new rule that lets young people stay on their parents’ health plan until they reach age 26 officially takes effect Sept. 23, six months after President Obama signed the health care reform bill into law. As long as a parent’s health plan offers dependent coverage, young adults can remain on it regardless of their living situation, financial resources, student status or prior health-insurance status. However, there is a caveat. Although the new requirement begins on Sept. 23, it applies only at the beginning of a new or renewed plan, not during the plan’s coverage year. So students who graduate this summer or reach their family plans’ age limit can lose their family coverage until the plan is renewed. Insurance companies have the option of eliminating the gap and continuing coverage for the adult child on the family plan, and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is encouraging insurers to do that instead of waiting until September. UnitedHealthcare, Kaiser Permanente, Humana, WellPoint and Blue Cross Blue Shield are among more than 60 plans that have voluntarily agreed to allow young adults to keep their family plan coverage. Check with your insurer for more details. Carole Fleck is a senior editor at the AARP Bulletin. Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures

Close In the next 24 hours, you will receive an email to confirm your subscription to receive emails related to AARP volunteering. Once you confirm that subscription, you will regularly receive communications related to AARP volunteering. In the meantime, please feel free to search for ways to make a difference in your community at Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again.