White House praises plans that cover young adults

A provision in the healthcare bill allows young adults to stay on their parents’ healthcare plan until age 26. While plans don’t have to comply until Sept. 23, 2010, Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has sent letters to health insurers across the country urging them to voluntarily provide coverage to young adults ahead of that date.

Now White House staffers are praising those plans that do cover young adults. Dan Pfeiffer, White House Communications Director, recently posted a comment on the White House blog congratulating Blue Plans across the country for voluntarily extending coverage of adult children. Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the White House Office of Health Reform, also recently blogged to praise early adopters, including Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in several states.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) implemented the extension of coverage to young unmarried child dependents regardless of student status in the individual market in 2006, and as a standard option for most employer groups in 2008.“Here at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, we are very pleased to be among the early adopters of the policy that is now the law of the land,” said BCBSNC President and CEO Brad Wilson in a press statement. “We will work to welcome other insurers to provide this important coverage for young people. Doing so was the right thing for North Carolinians years ago, and it is the right thing for Americans now.”

Companies covering young adults voluntarily before the September 23 implementation date required by the new health reform law include:

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona, Inc.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Hawaii
Blue Shield of California
Blue Cross of Idaho Health Service
Regence Blue Shield of Idaho
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa
Health Care Service Corporation
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
WellPoint, Inc.
CareFirst BlueCross and BlueShield
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi
Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey, Inc.
HealthNow New York, Inc.
The Regence Group
Excellus Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Capital BlueCross
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
Independence Blue Cross
BlueCross BlueShield of North Dakota
Highmark, Inc.
Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania
BlueCross and BlueShield of Tennessee
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island
Premera Blue Cross
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Wyoming
Kaiser Permanente
Cigna
Aetna
United
WellPoint
Humana
Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan (CDPHP), Albany, New York
Capital Health Plan, Tallahassee, Florida
Care Oregon, Portland, Oregon
Emblem Health, New York, New York
Fallon Community Health Plan, Worcester, Massachusetts
Geisinger Health Plan, Danville, Pennsylvania
Group Health, Seattle, Washington
Group Health Cooperative Of South Central Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
Health Partners, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Independent Health, Buffalo, New York
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Oakland, California
Martin’s Point Health Care, Portland, Maine
New West Health Services, Helena, Mt
The Permanente Federation, Oakland, California
Priority Health, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Scott & White Health Plan, Temple, Texas
Security Health Plan, Marshfield, Wisconsin
Tufts Health Plan, Waltham, Massachusetts
UCARE, Minneapolis, Minnesota
UPMC Health Plan, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

- Source: Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the White House Office of Health Reform