New Rules for Young Adults on Parent's Insurance

UNIVERSITY PARK- Health care reform is affecting young adults sooner than expected.

The Department of Health and Human Services issued new regulations Monday that allow young adults to stay on their parents insurance.

The provision is not mandatory for providers until September, but many are making the change now.  That is good news for college graduates.

The Department says 1.2 million young adults are expected to take advantage of the news rules. Each dependent would cost parents more than $3,000.

Taking the final picture with the Nittany Lion, no story is the same, some graduates have job offers, others are waiting, Michael Rothenberger is going to graduate school and is staying on his parents insurance plan.

Michael Rothenberger says, "I use my dads, it's actually from his employment. He works at a high school, so I'm under his health care coverage and I use a card under his name." Jeff Rothenberger says, "One of the problems with students, even in college is that every semester I would have to make sure that I get copies of their transcripts to prove that they were enrolled full-time."

Michael's mother is a nurse and was relieved the Affordable Health Care Act passed.

Jane Rothenberger says," I know too many kids that are young adults that have no insurance, they're banking on the fact that they are going to stay healthy, and you just never know."

The Department of Health and Human Services says young adults have the highest uninsured rate, at 30 percent.

HHS also says young adults going into the workforce often do not have employer sponsored health coverage.

Jeff Rothenberger says his son can stay on his plan until he is 26, even if his premium goes up.

Jeff Rothenberger says," I think that it's probably inevitable that it will probably grow with that, but as long as we're covering everybody and giving everybody a chance to have health insurance that they did not have in the past, I think it's still a great thing."