By Jim McLean
KHI News Service
TOPEKA, Jan. 18
Legislation introduced by the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee is aimed at reducing the number of young Kansas adults not covered by health insurance.
Senate Bill 117,
requested by Sen. Vicki Schmidt, R-Topeka, would allow unmarried, dependent children to remain on their parents” health insurance policies until age
26 regardless whether they
were in school. Full-time students could continue to be covered until their 28th birthday. Current Kansas law allows parents to keep children on their policies until age 23, but only if they are either a student or financially dependent.
Schmidt said she asked for the bill after learning several states had passed or were considering similar measures.
“It”s the fastest growing group of uninsured. And this is a very easy way to address that problem and give parents piece of mind,” Schmidt said.
Nationally, the uninsured population is growing at a rapid rate. In 2000, approximately 40 million people lacked insurance. Today that number has grown to 46.6 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Nearly half that increase is due to young people between the ages of 19 and 34.
Approximately 300,000 Kansans don”t have coverage, including more than 138,000 residents between the ages of 18 and 34. These young adults make up approximately 46 percent of all uninsured Kansans.
Schmidt”s bill also would allow military personnel between the ages of 19 and
26 to resume coverage on their parents” policies when they exit the service. The term of their coverage would be equal to the number of years they spent on active duty.
Thirteen other states have enacted similar laws. New Jersey provides coverage for dependents until their 30th birthday.
Sheldon Weisgrau, a policy analyst at the Kansas Health Institute, said the trend is understandable given policymakers” desire to do something about the problem of the uninsured.
“This may be a relatively low cost way to provide insurance to a lot of people who are currently uninsured,” he said.
Still, not everyone supports the approach. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzengger recently vetoed a bill to extend dependant coverage because he was concerned that any added expense attributable to the policy might cause employers to stop offering such coverage.
Jim McLean is a staff writer for KHI News Service, which specializes in coverage of health issues facing Kansans. He can be reached at
jmclean@khi.org
or at 785-233-5443, ext. 110.