HARRISBURG, Pa.—Health insurers issuing group policies in Pennsylvania would have to give employers the option of purchasing policies that would extend coverage to employees' adult dependent children until age 30 under legislation approved last week by the General Assembly.
Under the legislation, a child through age 29 could retain coverage through a parent's group health care plan so long as several conditions are met. Those conditions are that the child is unmarried and has no dependents of his or her own, is a resident of Pennsylvania or enrolled as a full-time student at an accredited institution of higher education and is not covered under another group or individual health insurance plan.
Employers, though, would have the option to purchase policies that extend coverage to employees' adult dependent children as well as be allowed to boost premiums to cover the cost of extending coverage.
The legislation, S.B. 189, would apply to policies purchased by employers from commercial health insurers and health maintenance organizations. Employers that self-fund their health care plans would be exempt because of a provision in the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act that pre-empts state laws or rules that relate to employee benefit plans.
Gov. Ed Rendell is expected to sign the bill.
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