Health Insurance for Children

Affordable insurance of any kind has been very difficult for mothers and fathers whose children approach the nineteen-year-old mark. In the past, children who fall into this category were discontinued on the parent’s affordable health insurance policy. In many cases, the children who were or did turn nineteen years old were encouraged to take out an inexpensive insurance policy that would protect them for major medical health issues that surface without warning.

Parents would scramble and research which of the insurance providers would offer them a relatively basic and inexpensive insurance for children policy to cover their child or children’s health requirements. It was the parents who paid the average monthly cost for health insurance until their child was able to find full time employment.

Now, when children who turn nineteen years of age and are enrolled in a college or university for the following fall semester in a full time capacity the rules change once again. The insurance providers will permit the child or children to remain on the parents continuing insurance policy until they graduate college or until the age of twenty-one.

When the child or children become enrolled in a college sports team, they are also eligible to enroll in a school-sponsored insurance policy through the college or university they are attending. This is another way to help reduce the cost of health insurance coverage and for the child to continue to receive the medical care they are accustomed to receiving.

Today, with the passage of the health care reform bill, this has all changed and there are a few new rules, laws, and regulations for everyone to read, learn, and incorporate into every day life for the future. One of the main changes is that now all children are permitted to remain on their parent’s continuous insurance policy until they reach the age of twenty-six. How well this newly crafted insurance plan will work is still questionable.

According to the newly crafted universal health care reform bill that was passed there is no pre-requisite to remaining on the parent’s continuous insurance policy except for chronological age. This is going to be very difficult for the insurance providers to incorporate into their specific rules, laws, and regulations. However, because of the passage of the newly crafted reform bill it is a law.

We have not heard from parents of these children yet, but this is going to cost them even more out of pocket expense for a longer period of time. Maybe in the future if this reform bill remains effective there will be a few changes to this particular portion, but today it will stand as it is.