Protecting children from losing coverage

(GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – April 28, 2010) Families no longer have to worry about losing health insurance for their children graduating this spring. Priority Health is helping young adults avoid a gap in coverage by enabling families with Priority Health insurance to keep their dependent children up to the age of 26 on their health plan. This decision protects many young adults from losing coverage based on their student status before the health reform law goes into effect this fall.

The health reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordability Act, requires all insurers to maintain coverage eligibility for dependents up to the age of 26. This law goes into effect September 2010, which is too late for families with students who are graduating.

"We are working hard to make the impact of the new health reform law as painless as possible for our customers," said Kimberly K. Horn, president and CEO of Priority Health. "This move enables our customers to continue their coverage with Priority Health without having to make changes or provide extensive paperwork."

Priority Health is also working with its self-insured customers to help them join the effort. These businesses must also comply with the new law and need to address dependent coverage as they write their own eligibility rules for coverage.

"While many insurers must grapple with how to implement the changes outlined in the health reform law, Priority Health is in a unique position to be able to focus on supporting our customers,” said Horn. "We've already been doing many of things the reform law was meant to change– having a long history of offering first-dollar prevention coverage in all of our health plans."

Priority Health has created a task force whose sole purpose is to ensure customers are aware of changes resulting from the Patient Protection and Affordability Act as they happen. The task force provides regular updates on this website.

Go to updates on health reform.