Health care reform for young people taking off!

Those of you who have been supporting Rock the Vote for a while now will know all of the work that we have done to promote improved access to health insurance for young people. One of the big proposals we have highlighted is allowing young people to stay on their family plans if they want to up to the age of 26.

Today's edition of CongressDaily, a Capitol Hill news report, has a very useful roundup of progress on this policy reform around the country. Here's to firm evidence that advocacy makes an impact!!

BEYOND THE BELTWAY: States Focusing On Health Insurance For Younger Adults
College student Michelle Morse carried a full course load while battling colon cancer because she could not afford to be dropped from her parents' health insurance and pay for her own coverage.
"She was going to school with a chemo pump attached to her hip and teaching classes," said Ann Marie Morse of her daughter, an aspiring teacher. She graduated cum laude from Plymouth State University in May and died in December, days shy of her 23rd birthday.
Her mother is now the force behind "Michelle's Law," a New Hampshire bill intended to help families with sick or injured college-aged children avoid her family's plight. It would allow college students to take a medical leave from school for up to a year without losing parental health coverage.
New Hampshire lawmakers estimate the law would affect up to five students a year. The measure is expected to have little impact on premiums, according to Larry Akey, a spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans.
The bill hit a speed bump Friday when the state Senate put off naming conferees until May 11. But since the bill has passed both chambers unanimously, and the governor supports it, passage is expected.
Michigan, Vermont and Maryland legislatures are considering similar bills; Maine enacted one April 4. But with one-third of 19- to 24-year-olds lacking health insurance, many states are taking a broader approach.
Legislatures in six states have raised the age of dependency regardless of educational status, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Recent laws in Colorado, Massachusetts and New Mexico cut off dependency at age 25.
In Utah, where many young adults take two-year stints as Mormon missionaries, a 12-year-old law cuts off dependency at age 26.
New Jersey is the most generous: Starting next month, children can remain dependents until they turn 30. That law allows insurance companies to charge up to 3 percent higher premiums for the coverage.
But in California, a bill cutting off dependency at age 26 was vetoed last year by Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who feared the plan would burden small businesses and municipalities. The bill, sponsored by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, a Democrat, did not pass with enough votes to override the veto.
Akey echoed Schwarzenegger's reluctance. Raising the age of dependency, rather than aiding only those in dire situations, might raise premiums, he warned.
"Our concern with that is the potential for what in the industry we call adverse selection" -- that only those with high health costs would opt for their parents' coverage, Akey said.
Legislatures in at least five states -- Connecticut, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Washington -- have measures pending to raise the dependency age in general and several others have bills dealing with mental or physical disabilities.
But current law is a roadblock for state efforts. The federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act exempts self-funded plans from state regulation, so about half of employees would not benefit from state legislation like "Michelle's Law," according to Gary Claxton, director of the Kaiser Family Foundation's Healthcare Marketplace Project.
Some state lawmakers, meanwhile, have cried foul over legislation sponsored by Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman Enzi, warning the measure might nullify the state efforts.
An Enzi spokesman said the bill -- designed to make health insurance cheaper for small businesses -- would not pre-empt state measures to raise the age of dependency or nullify state approaches that mimic "Michelle's Law."
But Jane Loewenson, director of health policy for the National Partnership for Women and Families, said Enzi's proposal is written broadly enough to encourage insurance providers to dispute state laws in federal court. "I certainly think we'll go to the courts under this bill," she added.

By Michaela May