I really don't follow your logic at all. Is there some magical age at which all people who are trying to work will get a job with health insurance benefits?

This is a nonstory. Who the hell cares if parents can keep their children (adults) on their policies? The next story on this subject, in six months, will be those same parents crying about the premium increases for their kids--and the unfairness of it all.

This is a stupid law. Now the government makes companies pay for 26 year old babies. When do people grow up. Just like my old Kwik Shop Manager said. "I always paid for my insurance even when I was not a manager. These young people just want to waste their money."

Do you people have even an INKLING of the problems with insurance? It sure doesn't sound like it.

Do YOU have an "Inkling" of the problems of society when you consider a married, 25 year old a "child"?

I'm 40 and upset that the age was capped of at 26. This is age discrimination. I should be allowed on Mom and Dads insurance now!

what if a family has 3 kids - and the 3 kids have 2 kids each before they turn 26 - so that will be 11 people on 1 plan

When I was 26, health insurance was as far from my mind as the planet Neptune. Another attempt by msnbc, Obama's official media stooge, to make an issue out of nothing. Don't tell me that this inept President and Congress passed a 2,700 page healthcare bill for this. There must have been another way. Maybe 10 pages.

Hey children, I've got news for you, when you're 26 years old the chances are that you life is half over. GROW UP!!! Quit being a child and make a friggen life for yourself.

This country is in trouble if this trend continues.

name less:

I guess if the kids had kids and were not married...your point is funny and unfortunately something for which lawmakers may actually need to write further legislation. What a wreck.

lib50: No. We've led healthy lives and haven't spent our days and nights inhaling into our lungs that poisonous weed that you worship.

good/ great for 2 million..but strange; this is only good for Only 2 million..that number is so Small for such a Elaborate H/C reform bill of 300+ million......

Strange, I wonder where the author of this article came up with "2 million eager for health care on parents' plans" ??

• Was there a Poll completed to come to the "2 million" figure ?
• Is "2 million" the same as the total number of students currently receiving a Student Loan ??
• Or did the "2 million" figure come from some mathematical equation similiar to the cost of the Health Care bill without the Dr. Fix or the takeover of the Student Loans by the Government ??

I will be interested to see statistics on the increase in small business closures (causing loss of jobs and the unemployed having to get covered by Medicaid with bankrupt states picking up the tab) and the unemployment rate in the next year or so when some of the health care bill provisions kick in.

Further, I am thinking this article came straight from the White House Media Czar to push the public opinion on the President's MANDATED UNIVERSAL ONE PAYER HEALTH CARE REFORM bill. At least that is what the President is doing now.....going from town hall meeting to town hall meeting to garnish support for a LAW HE HAS ALREADY SIGNED.

Finally, the President is using his town hall meetings and media coverage as an opportunity to further push his "other" liberal agenda and try to gather votes for the upcoming mid-term elections. Time to ground Air Force 1 and continue the partying at the Party House.

name less-- I guess your reading and comprehension skills are lacking. The article clearly states spouses and children of the "children" would not be covered.

People don't seem to realize we already pay for the uninsured to get treated through our tax dollars and when independently purchasing costly insurance plans. There is a federal mandate that prohibits publicly funded hospitals from turning patients away. And it isn't just about illegal immigrants, because plenty of uninsured Americans go straight to the emergency room for treatment. So if you think this health care bill blows chunks, our current system is even worse. There is no standard when it comes to what hospitals and insurance companies can charge for their services.

* it will include married children but not their spouses or their kids

i think if the child is not married and has a kid both will be covered by the parents/grandparents plan

but i might be wrong

As soon as the "cannot be denied" component kicks in, why would anyone pay for insurance until the minute they need it?

And as for kids - this generation already has some difficulty with the "growing up" process - don't misunderstand, I am not painting with a broad brush here. Tons of kids in this current generation are responsible, self-supporting, fully functioning adults.

But this current generation, before the financial collapse, has been struggling to find their way. I've seen it with one of my kids, and have seen it with many others friends kids.

On one hand it's nice that they have access through their parents, but honestly, I don't think it is a good idea as it makes it an acceptable practice to now stay tied financially to your parents well into your adulthood. Not a healthy trend for a generation already struggling to get out of the house and grow up.

And I completely agree with the mention that the next complaint will be over the exorbitant cost what with the preexisting conditions, no caps on benefits - seriously - how can anyone believe that this is going to save anyone money.

You're right, this is just another example of failing to take personal responsibility. My 22 year old college student works hard in school. He works part time to help cover expenses. His employer doesn't offer health insurance and he barely has money for food. How dare he expect to be included on my policy? By God, he's on his own!

If he gets involved in a serious accident and needs expensive care, he can go to the ER. Why should I pay a monthly fee on my son's behalf when his healthcare costs will be paid by all of you? Oops! All of your BS went out the door with that situation. If you do this to your kid, I'll gladly pay my share to make up for the poor excuse he has for parents.

There is an interesting point to note:

The people screaming and yelling most typically have coverage and don't have to wait in over crowded ER waiting areas after holding back long enough to become extremely ill - only to drop the cost of their care onto the tax payers at 3x what it could have been ... made 6x what it needed to be if they didn't have to wait.

So ... packed ERs and extreme expense to the tax payer is what existed without putting a leash on the insurance companies - one of the many arms of a badly de-regulated financial industry that ran our economy into a gopher hole.

Interesting.

I showed this thread to a bunch of students, a lot of them were shocked (and a little sad) at how mean spirited the people were on here.

Most of these college students have multiple jobs on campus, and off campus. They have non-paid internships that require 20-40 hours a week. Many places WILL NOT hire full time students. They may be working 10 hours here, 15 hours there, and 15 over that way...

What can I say though, America has lost all concept of 'Love thy Neighbor.'

A government "Ponzi" scheme - "entitlements" - you should have "instant gratification" = the hell with earning your way - Let's drink to that! (or smoke some more weed!)

Of course their shocked, they believe that everything is owed to them, a new SUV, big house, designer clothes, etc... They are getting screwed by the rising cost of education and deteriorating economy but so is everyone else, spreading the misery doesn't fix anything.

Young voters have been abandoning Obama in droves and this provision of the bill is his attempt to buy those votes back, hopefully they have enough sense to recognize the insurmountable debt and house of cards that is becoming less stable every day.

26 and married, living in a different state from your parents, and getting free coverage as a "dependent"? get real.

a lot typical chatter from conservatives opposed to health care reform.... the bottom line here is that this is very important to millions of people with adult children in college or jobs that don't provide coverage, and will add millions of people to the ranks of those who support the reform bill... conservatives with their knee-jerk opposition only seem grumpy and out of touch with real people...

Maybe the students are shocked by some comments here because some question their parents' choice to wow, actually pay, for their own flesh and blood to be on their policy.

Some bum parents are too miserly to actually ante up and cover their uninsured kid - or too poor perhaps, but it chafes that Americans who are acting responsibly in the face of their kids' student status or underemployed/no health care status, are being ridiculed instead of appreciated. The adult "kids" aren't getting put on their parents' policies because everything is great, rather because they are having troubles. Get used to a period of "stagflation" and underemployed "kids" - Japan went through that for TEN years - they call it the "Lost Generation".

This plan ALLOWS the "child" to be included. What if I do not want to include them? Do they get a penalty? DO I?

What about those who have children late in life? Do they get included on Medicare?

Of course their shocked, they believe that everything is owed to them, a new SUV, big house, designer clothes, etc... They are getting screwed by the rising cost of education and deteriorating economy but so is everyone else, spreading the misery doesn't fix anything.

HA. Please, could you be any more stereotypical? Every generation has believed the generation after it is 'too entitled.' The generation of Millennials are some of the hardest working people you'll see. Working two, three jobs just to get through school? Starting out with thousands upon thousands of dollars in debt just to get a good education?

And you have the tenacity to call them 'entitled' based on media propaganda? I apologize if this sounds harsh, but you sir, have no conscious, and are completely out of touch with the current reality that our youth are in.

Young voters have been abandoning Obama in droves and this provision of the bill is his attempt to buy those votes back, hopefully they have enough sense to recognize the insurmountable debt and house of cards that is becoming less stable every day.

No there not. Where is your source to back up this claim? Ah, right... that's what I thought...

26 and married, living in a different state from your parents, and getting free coverage as a "dependent"? get real.

OK, let's get real first off by not taking the extreme as the example.

Oi!

The article points out that this provision will help a group of people who have no access to health coverage now. I see that this could be a benefit for those persons and generally - fewer persons who require ER care with no way to pay for it.

But a balanced article would also have an estimate of rate increases that will result. Many plans have two rates - individual and family. The family rate is the same with just spouse, or spouse with children, or just with children. So the rate for all families MUST rise to cover the adult offspring when they are added to the policy. When it goes up enough, some families will have to drop the coverage. If the premium is per person on the policy, the rate for each additional person might go down a little, since these young adults are, on the average, healthier. A worthwhile healthcare reform would be to require all policies to charge premiums per person.

News flash - health insurance is not something for nothing. It is prepayment of health care costs (averaged over the group) plus overhead to cover administration. Any increase in costs must add to the total premium collected. This is not a mean-spirited comment, just a fact of life.

I agree completely with the concept that health insurance should be disconnected from the employment relationship. Employers should pay wages and salaries - individuals should buy health insurance as desired. Changing jobs should have no effect. We do not get auto, homeowners, or renters insurance through the employment contract - why health insurance? Tradition !!

Hmmm. If I were mom or dad, I'd say no.

Once a kid has graduated from high school, I think THEY should be responsible for their own decisions about healthcare.

Quit trying to make these freeloaders children for life.

If a child is attending college, full-time, it has always been the norm for them to be included as dependants on their parent's health insurance. Also, there are lower cost policies for such students. However, for those "children" who are out of college, or not attending college, and they are in their 20's, it's time to get out of the house, get a job and cut the cord. If they have employers who do not provide health insurance, well, hey, pay for it yourself like the rest of the adults do who are in the same boat. Isn't this WUNDERFUL HCR Bill supposed to make premiums inexpensive? Why be on mommy and daddy's policy, when Obama and his cohorts have passed a bill that will provide inexpensive insurance for "the uninsured". Why should the American people be taxed for two entitlements, and do we just let the "kids" pick?

Hmmm. If I were mom or dad, I'd say no.

Once a kid has graduated from high school, I think THEY should be responsible for their own decisions about healthcare.

Quit trying to make these freeloaders children for life.

And what if they can't get a job that will cover them? What then?

"Find another job"

Where?

"Anywhere"

That costs money, that they don't have

"Then get a job to move"

Yes, and between having paychecks held, taxes, and working 40+ hours a week (Oh and that whole "still not insured" thing)...

"OK, then they should go to College to get a job"

Let's not even go there... O_o

I think you miss the point, Joe. If a person is 26 years old and has a child, he/she more than likely has his/her own insurance. This bill is for people who have kids in school...it is hard to get insurance while going through college, especially if you aren't working full time.

I have to say that I am glad they included this in the bill. I cannot tell you how many of my students don't have insurance and they need it. I have had students tell me they couldn't go to the doctor for simple things because their parents' insurance had dropped them. I had one student who had not had seizure medicine in two weeks because she didn't have insurance. that is not good. not at all. take it from a girl who knows about seizures. they are not fun. It is scary to be sick and not have insurance.I know the feeling. When I was twenty, my parents' insurance dropped me because I was diagnosed with lupus. it was really tough on me. I have insurance through my employer, now. I realize how blessed I am, but remember how it felt to lose my insurance (and my doctor). I hope no one else has to go through what I did.

As it reads, this has absolutely nothing to do with students. Although they will be included it wasn't directed at their problems. it was meant to capture the up to 26 or older person that didn't have insurance. The premiums will be a windfall for the insurance companies.

I need to buy some insurance company stock before it's priced out of reach.

Why should MY taxes be used for public schools? I chose to not have kids or raised my kids years ago. Why should I pay for public libraries? I hate reading. I get all of my education and entertainment from television. Why should MY hard-earned money support public parks and beaches? I rarely leave the comfort of my heated or air conditioned home, besides I can't stand all of those noisy kids or adults playing around as if they were kids. It's not fair that I should help pay for modern highways. I never drive over 30 mph or further than my favorite diner or doctor's office.

Because, you selfish bass terd, you are not an island. The world does not revolve around you. It is impossible to establish any social order to individual or made-to-order needs. Like it or not, you live in modern day society. Without that society, you would have few of the comforts you enjoy today. Did you notice the words social and society? Do you realize that you have been participating and living all of your life with that dreaded and horrible word, "socialism"? Shame on you! According to your own words, that makes you little better than a commie. My God, you are partly responsible for destroying the American way of life.

Don't believe it. Those 13 small American colonies that banded together to gain freedom from the mighty British empire formed a new "social" order that exists today as the greatest nation on earth. As long as we are determined to remain the United States of America and scoff at the traitors that would divide us as red and blue states, we will continue to lead the world as such.

Another point to consider is that most universities will not enroll you without health coverage - which has kept higher learning out of the hands of lower income students.

secretagentLee if your student or her parents couldn't afford her medication then how on earth will they be able to afford to pay her monthly premiums?

Joe - apparently you are a lonely old fart without any children so you would not understand why parents would love to have this option to help their children until they can be on their own.

Sorry old fart.

(Meant to post this in sub-thread 1, but too late to move it now....)

Prior to this, many employers did not allow parents to continue coverage for college students after a certain age, even if they were full time students, and even if the parents were not "bums" who are too cheap to pay for the extended coverage. Also, most jobs that are willing to employ young people without previous experience or marketable skills, and can also offer part-time schedules that can work around a typical undergrad university schedule, do not offer insurance.

My parents were lucky enough to have the option of paying $480/mo for COBRA to cover me under my dad's employer-based plan back in the early 90s--but that option was only there until age 24. After that I was on my own. I had only completed the first year of med school by that point, and I went to grad school as well.... I'm sure COBRA is even more expensive these days. Add that to the outrageous costs associated with tuition and whatnot, and you are asking for a system where only the middle and upper classes can afford the upper echelons of post-secondary education. So much for that meritocracy myth the conservatives love to pretend is real.

If you want to get any type of degree beyond a bachelor's degree, especially if you take more than 4 years to get that first degree, then you will absolutely be older than 26 before you are finished.

And before anyone implies that those who take the 5- or 6-year path to a BS/BA degree are just lazy libertines taking semesters off, realize that for many working-class and poverty-class students (such as myself at the time) the prospect of taking fewer classes per semester so you can work your way through undergrad is less scary than taking out massive loans at that stage, knowing that loans will be huge and unavoidable once you get to med, law, business or grad school. Trust me, I worked two jobs all the way through undergrad and my second year of med school, and only stopped when the schedule (clinical rotations) became too extensive and unpredictable to hold down either job, even with the midnight shifts. I dare you to call me or any other poor kid scraping by to get ahead lazy.

Jobs that can work around a graduate or professional program are practically non-existent. Unless you get a job straight out of undergrad in a field where your employer is willing to send you to grad school on the company dime, or have a research or military stipend, you are SOL if you want more than a BS/BA degree. They also require proof of insurance to enroll in most programs, so you have to come up with even more money (i.e. take out even more loan dollars) to buy it yourself if you cannot get coverage through your employer or family.

There seems to be a huge overlap between the groups of (conservative) people who say "You poor people only have yourselves to blame--you should have stayed in school to get a better job!" and the (mostly conservative) people who say "How dare these adults continue coverage under their parents until age 26!" The hypocrisy is glaring.

You can't have it both ways--you'll either have to stop criticizing people who choose to go straight to work out of high school and perhaps have dead-end low-paying jobs as a result, or recognize that the people who seek post-secondary education will need some sort of health care coverage until they get a real job with real benefits.

I hope you all picked up on the sarcasm in Commonsense101's posts in this seed. If you want to push your kids out into the world with no health care just because they have reached a certain chronological age, then you need to ask yourself if you are the kind of person who really values higher education in the first place. If you did value education, you would support anything that makes our young people able to stay in school until they can get good careers with decent pay and benefits, and hopefully in recession-proof and outsourcing-proof fields.

secretagentLee if your student or her parents couldn't afford her medication then how on earth will they be able to afford to pay her monthly premiums?

I didn't say that the parent couldn't afford it. I said the students can't afford it. I have no clue how much the insurance would cost for parents to have to take it out on an individual basis (separate from their insurance). I simply know that my students say that if they could have stayed on the insurance their parents have (which is one rate), they could have kept insurance. Having to go separate is much more expensive and ridiculous. why would you want a family to have two separate insurance policies? A person still in school should be allowed to stay on his/her parents' insurance plan.

PaulRandall, seizure medicine is extremely expensive (or can be). I was having trouble with my insurance last month...they wanted me to take the generic that I am allergic to because it is cheaper. I was buying my own (without the co-pay) and it was running me $200 for three pills (one and a half day's worth of medicine). If this student is on the one that I am on, she may not be able to afford it. I don't know.

I love how dems trumpet this as the pot under the rainbow. It really is a non-benefit unless you are a full time student and who in the hell is a full time student at 26? If it takes you 8 years to get a degree (doctors excluded) then maybe you just arent college material. Take this from a Gen-Xer who is in his low 30's, strike out on your own and quit living under mommy and daddy's umbrella.

Jake - this does not apply to only students. It is for any person (with insured parents), student or not, employed or not. It would be great for young people who can only get a low-paying job with no access to insurance (or daddy has a better policy.) It probably would not apply to an offspring in the military, but when their enlistment expires, they could get back on the parents' policy.

Why the arbitrary cutoff at 26? (8 years into adulthood, legally) Why not 30 or 45? Why not stay on mommy and daddy's insurance until the old folks are on social security? Actually, this age of 26 may run into that problem. Some kids are 10 when mom and dad retire. Can a 20-year-old go on dad's Medicare part A&B?

This new "class" of people usually utilizes less care. They will be paid for. What is the problem, or you don't care if they are insured or not? Do you people see the problems at all?

"This new "class" of people usually utilizes less care."

Not true.

The age group being added may be at less risk of illness, but higher risk of auto accidents and sport injuries.

They are bigger risk takers. Period.

Lib, I do see problems, only different ones than you. This "new class" of people should be self reliant. Off their parents dime. And honestly, I could care less if they are insured or not.

Note to this new class: Get educated, get work ethics, bust your ass and you'll enjoy the fruits of your labor, ....or kick back, skip school, smoke dope, vote liberals into office and enjoy the fruit of someone elses labor!

I know the latter one sounds awesome! and that's why America has a problem, Lib.

The sky is falling the sky is falling!!!! Here come the death panels!!! Doctors will kill retarded babies when they're born!!!! The idiots are out in force making stuff up again.

My kids are currently covered until they're 24th birthday. Covering them til age 26 isn't going to be a big deal for the insurance companies. That's what premiums are for. Premiums aren't going to go up, you just pay them longer. Does a premium go up because you stay married longer and they have to cover you and your spouse for years??? Heck no.

Just keep trying to scare people. Then when it doesn't happen you can say, 'Well.......it could have.'

Sounds familiar to you don't you Darth; we must pass this stimulus bill so unemployment won't go above 8 % (oops). We are in a crisis, we must pass this health care bill (the sky is falling). Amazing how dems spout off the same kind of rhetoric you seem to love to chastise.

Kind of makes one wonder how many Republicans will take advantage of this new feature, if you are so against it put your kids on their own policy, in other words you Republicans need to put your money where your mouth is .......

This just shows that we in fact have no "system". Leave aside the question of adding 26 yr olds to your insurance, you have to go check and see if you can even cover them first and then if you can, do you know how much trouble you are going to have figuring all this out?

Then, is this some cost savings? Are the parents going to pay the co pays and then their share as well? Wow, some cost savings. I understand very well some piece of mind having them covered but just being able to add your kids does not prove that this is something really good. We will just cover a whole bunch more people and cost will just go up because you are not adding to the total insurance pool, enough. Just like covering all the people that can afford it....who pays the subsidy? It goes straight to the deficit. This is not a fix, this just adds to the problem.

We still have 2 of ours on our insurance now and the monthly premium is double what it would be for my wife and I only....we are just seeing all these savings all over the place. Again, this doesn't add to a solution, it just makes the problem worse.

Darthfrodo says :

Does a premium go up because you stay married longer and they have to cover you and your spouse for years??? Heck no.

Actually yes it does. The longer you are married, the older you both get and the more it costs to maintain the same level of coverage.. Usually about every five years coverage costs go up to stay the same.

I see posts stating that 26 year olds will be added to their parents health insurance plan. Not even close to what the article states. Parents can add their adult children to their family health insurance policies UNTIL the dependent turns 26. It may cost families who choose to do this a little more, but it will be less than the child buying a separate plan. Besides, the kids can always help pay the differences if they can afford to.

Thank you Floyd - it's like they want to suspend reality - of course rates go up the longer you are married. Just like everything else. What WILL raise all of our rates are the two time bombs the progressives planted in this bill in order to destroy health insurance and get their single-payer government healthcare. The first is adding in all preexisting conditions. Now ask your self, why only the kids now? Tug at the heartstrings, get re-elected. If they added all preexisting conditions all at once the system would immediately collapse, or rates would triple overnight.

The second timebomb? No lifetime cap on benefits. Since what, 40% of all care is in the last few months or weeks of life, now we can spend even more money on extraordinary measures, as there is no reason not to. How exactly do insurance companies work this into their balance sheets?

They can't borrow money Disneyland money like the Federal Fools, they have to actually balance the books each month.

And the idea of tying kids to their parents into their late 20's is insane. Seriously. This cradle to grave nonsense has to stop.

It's an attempt to retain the young voters who bought into the empty campaign promises. Those under 26 supported him big time in the election and they have been abandoning him in droves. A 26 yr old is no more dependent than a 40 yr old.

the young people covered by this provision are the cheapest demographic to cover. parents will simply continue paying the same premiums they've always paid. employers have the option of having their employees cover the cost. this is anything but an empty campaign promise. it's the fullfillment of a campaign promise. millions of people will be won over to the reform package because of this provision... the knee jerk opposition from the GOP shows they are tone deaf when it comes to improving peoples' lives.

It is purely a speculation on the insurance premium increasing because the health care reform. The heath insurance industry will do it with or without this health care bill passed. Case Study: March 8, in CA, Anthem Blue Cross raise the premium by 39% just because their CEO thought he could.

Health Insurance companies will always try to squeeze every dime out of people whenever they can. Case Study: after the bill signed, the insurance industry immediately looks for loopholes by reinterpret the bill to not cover existing precondition children until 2014.

So stop this nonsense about health care premium increase for every one because of the reform. It is increased because the greed of the insurance companies (with the support of the GOP) and nothing else.

Casylius. It is normal economic behavior for a company, any company, to charge as much for its products and services as it possibly can. we should never be surprised at this, nor should we condemn it. It's just the basic nature of a free economy. People are greedy and want all they can get, except for saints. The only antidote for this is competition which forces companies to keep their prices low enough to keep consumers from buying from their competitors. The competition aspects of this health care bill, while pretty wimpy, should be an influence constraining costs. I wish they'd have included health care co-ops in the bill, which would have really forced the for-profit insurance companies to control their prices.

Sounds familiar to you don't you Darth; we must pass this stimulus bill so unemployment won't go above 8 % (oops). We are in a crisis, we must pass this health care bill (the sky is falling). Amazing how dems spout off the same kind of rhetoric you seem to love to chastise.

Now now, let's not assume. I have never said Democrats are innocent. As I have always maintained: Because of Jimmy Carter, I have never voted for a Democrat in my life. If Ross Perot would have stayed in it, this country would be a lot different right now.

Darthfrodo says :

Does a premium go up because you stay married longer and they have to cover you and your spouse for years??? Heck no.

Actually yes it does. The longer you are married, the older you both get and the more it costs to maintain the same level of coverage.. Usually about every five years coverage costs go up to stay the same.

But that's a general premium increase. That...of course...is inevitable. What I meant is insurance companied don't charge an 80 year old person more in premiums than they do a 20 year old. I'm 30 years older than some of my co-workers and we all pay the same. The age of the person is irrelevant. I hope that clears it up.

Tricare should have to follow the same rules as the rest of them. That should not negate the whole thing, just close the loophole.

Duh.............your "representatives" did not want to touch Tricare that the military was supposed to love according to them!

And yet you keep watching it.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Wisdom.

Thanks, don Corleone.

Every parent is free to create an agreement with their young adult offspring saying that they must pay 100% or 75% or 50% of the premium costs. Even if that young adult pays 100%, there are often still advantages to continuing on their existing plan. My 22 year old niece tried to buy individual health insurance and discovered that insurers either rejected her, charged much higher premiums, or would refuse to cover any expenses related to her pre-existing asthma. Some of the plans would not cover pregnancy. At a time when she was just finishing college and trying to find that first job, it would have been much better for her to pay the premiums to stay on her parent's insurance. Within a year or two, she will hopefully have a secure job as a registered nurse and good health benefits. She (like so many other young people in their early 20's) is working hard to become a financially responsible and independent adult.

Cal - another false argument. If the new great plan doesn't allow for denial due to preexisting conditions, what's the problem?

And do you really think that any insurance company won't charge more for preexisting conditions, until the government doesn't allow that either? And then when the insurance companies go bankrupt because they have been squeezed at both ends, you will get pushed into the Medicaid system - and boy is that a bundle of fun. Waiting months for appointments, fewer and fewer doctors accepting patients, crappy care getting way crappier with millions of new patients - yeah, this is a GREAT plan.

Paul, the status quo has been that when you get health insurance through an employer plan, the insurance company cannot deny coverage to any employee, spouse or dependent -- regardless of their pre-existing conditions. Even without this healthcare bill, pre-existing conditions (such as asthma) would automatically be covered when she gets a job with medical benefits...and were already automatically covered for the years that she was allowed to be enrolled on her parent's health insurance. This part of the bill does not do anything too radical -- it merely extends by a few years the option of paying to remain on one's parent's insurance plan.

since you have broched this subject i would love to ask you a few questios! First of all how in the hell would the insurance company know all of those specifics have you actually looked recently at what an employee fills out when asked if they want to accept the insurance? age and social security numbers are included yes but never have i answered questions about weight! family or single coverages are divied up evenly! If family coverage costs 600 a month and the employer pays 400 the employee 200 no matter how many are on the plan or the illness they may end up with change the premium it is called a contract that the insurance companies and the employers are bound by for a set amount of time! There for you are not paying more due to someones weight and or illness! The reason the law makes you pay the same for single across the board and families across the board is to keep it as fair as possible now when you get a new contract if you have someone with cancer or several with somthing like cancer then yes coverage across the baord can go up for both employers as well as employees but what you are pointing out is crap! I paid the same amount for family care as a 60 year old counter part did and i worked in the accounting deptartment for a time so i saw what was being sent to the insurance company from our company and let me reassure you on the print offs prices were the same across the board depending on the coverage they choose! What we paid for single was the same what we paid for families was the same! IF you are a buisness owner who is in that situation as you described you got duped and need way better negotiating skills for your contract with your insurance company!

Feisty1 - do you own a business? It doesn't sound like it, but it may be you live in a different state than I do. In CA our health insurance is certainly priced via age at a minimum. So your rant is misleading at the least.

You have hit upon some of the problems with small employer coverage. Several years ago my husband's employer suggested( to my husband) that I get my tube's tied so they could drop pregnancy coverage on me. They were already paying more for my husband's coverage, it went up when he turned 50. The company changed hands and he lost his job. Four months into a new job, he was diagnosed with cancer. I'm guessing it wrecked his new company's insurance rates.

It is possible that her father passed, and her mother remarried. It is even possible that they divorced the mother remarried and has her own insurance policy to cover the girl on! Differnt last names in this day and age does not show the girl is married or has been!

Call up your folks...maybe you can get on their insurance.

Sure - why not. I would love to provide insurance coverage for my kids if they are 35 and do not have health care beacuse whatever the reason. Why do people have a problem with this?

Sure seems to be a lot of people who care about insurance profits on here. Maybe that is it.

That would be our goal... for our children to be independent and employed (and covered, health-insurance-wise) at 18 or 21... but times are tough. What do we do in a health emergency?

I have not heard anyone say that in probably 30 years, Chris. It is most uncommon to hear in the suburbs.

These days kids who have asthma would not even be able to get their own policies because of the preexisting condition. But who cares? They are out of the womb, so tough @!$%#.

The GOP had called FDR a communist, a socialist, etc when he introduced social security system for America. Is it the same thing that the GOP now doing to president Obama? It is not new.

This is an option for parent to add their children. The law DOES not force parent to keep their children on insurance after 21. You are really misinformed about the whole thing.

She is either one of the misinformees or one of the misinformers. And a teabagger to boot.

The problem is that they don't want to get Paid what those jobs pay!

I WAS making $75,000 a year after putting myself threw college and working 18 years in Construction! Now I apply for $12hour construction jobs and dont get a call back!

I have been a Project Superintendent for up to $50 Million Commercial Projects for the past 5 years! I am looking to make the begining apprentice wage and don't get the job, dude!

This is what far left liberals have wanted for years..total government control over people. And it IS being accomplished.. one small chip at a time. The spoiled brats of the boomers ( I'm a boomer BTW) are going to have one helluva time dealing with life once the parent's are gone and the resources they left to the kid's have been squandered. The ups and downs of what used to be called just "life" is now a catastrophe, and instead of dealing with it and moving forward like people used to do, they turn to the government looking for a permanent handout....whining all the way. Kids are not raised anymore..they are nurtured, and for some strange reason the parents actually believe it is the burden of the school system and government to raise their kids for them. Morals along with being responsible for one's actions have all but disappeared. Rant over.

This doesn't have that much to do with controlling healthcare, first because insurance doesn't equal health care and second this is just bad policy and third, it shows worst of all that our political system is even more broken.

That is the whole tragedy that we find ourselves: what has worked to create a society that was desirable is now doing what ever it wants.....

Everyone of these people could find a job if they really wanted one. The problem is.........they don't want to do the jobs that are available...........life is going to jump up and bite these kids in the ass one day, but by then it will be too late for them to learn the very hard lessons that generations before them learned when they were still teenagers.

Just because you have a job doesn't mean you automatically get health insurance. And even if you do get health insurance through your employer doesn't mean it's affordable!!!

They don't give a crap, sebs.

Wow where to start.............you're nuts!

You are absolutely right about Obama doing more in the first year. In fact he is the only president in history to completely destroy our great country in one year. We can only hope that he chokes to death on his own BS.

O has done a few good things and many other things of W. Bushesque stupidity as well. But let's start with the biggest problem this country has - an crap load of debt that O has done NOTHING but add to. All he has done is dig the financial hole deeper - what a DOPE!

I agree with you completely. Ever since the Health Care Bill was signed the only people left on here are the righties. There is nothing you can do to change their mind so don't waste your time trying to make them understand anything. They don't get it and live in the past.All they care about is $. They never look past their front door.

Wake up chicken little, the sky wasn't falling when Obama said we must bail out the car companies, who now owns 35% of GM and Chrysler, that's right, Obama's backers, the Union. And if I have to hear him say "I took over during a time that was not seen since the Great Depression", I'm going to puke. He's been led around by the nose by Pelosi and Reid and you think he can stand on his own?

So sorry it is so true.... I hate that. I would have loved to be any president walking into Obama's situation and having to deal with it all.... would YOU be able to stablize an economy he was facing? Come on... Obama has been as centric a president as they come... some force here, some growth there.... Ish. I wouldn't want to walk that line.

I know wolffchad, for the last few months every liberal opinion has been flagged and closed by all these right wing nut jobs. I just posted to throw some red meat to the crazies and they've definitely taken the bait and run with it, even though everything I wrote is true.

I think Russia and Chine MIGHT sign on, because they KNOW that they cannot trust the current US Administration to do anything!

How is what you wrote true? Every economic proffessional said they could not tell when or if?! So how can you say without a reason that Obama Fixed everything right before it got bad?!?!? ITS TERRIBLE NOW!

GET IT WOLF?? Nobody got Shi! yet! I hope your right and this becomes Heaven on Earth! I just don't have that type of faith, so speaking tours (Paid by me and other fellow taxpayers!) are just that, TOURS! Talk is cheap right now, cause I can't pay my mortage with it!

Unemployment is 18.9% in my county. Foreclosures are at an all time high. Bankruptcies nationally are up 75% over last year.

Tax cheat running the IRS. More six-figure federal employees than ever, with bigger pay increases than any time in the history of our world. Record deficit spending, record debt, 97% of the people in his "mortgage bailout program" not getting any help, and no end in sight.

Yeah, Obama, a real peach.

Paul F - unemployment, foreclosure, bankruptcy, recession are the result of the GOP congress and 8 years of Bush. Bush left a huge mess of wars, recession, financial collapse, and trillion in debt for Obama. They are the results of the 12 years of the GOP deregulating the banks.

Don't try to forget too quickly! Obama inherited the worst recession from Bush and the GOP's policy.

Right on Casylius. Some people just refuse to accept the facts even when they're right in their face. It's true that Obama's foreclosure bailout plan is pretty much a failure, but at least he keeps trying to remedy the mess he inherited, instead of just kicking the can down the road or removing as many financial regulations as possible like the last 8 years that got us in the mess we find ourselves. Republicans are the masters of bamboozle and actually convince people to rally against their own self interests. Like most of the idiots who are Tea Party and march against the Government while they receive unemployment benefits, social security and medicare, all government run programs. And lest we forget the rethuglicans are not just the party of no, they are the party of hell no, and proud of it. My take is that they are in for a rude awakening come November, when they don't pick up nearly as many Congressional seats as they expect.

2005dmx...let's see. you say:

You are absolutely right about Obama doing more in the first year. In fact he is the only president in history to completely destroy our great country in one year. We can only hope that he chokes to death on his own BS.

that is funny. If I am remembering correctly, Bush did a better job in his first year. He allowed our country to be attacked and started a crusade that would become two wars that have us in a deficit that is massive. He also messed up our standing in the world, created such a financial mess...almost a Depression, really...that will take us years to get straitened out. Unemployment sky-rocketed under him (and you blame Obama? he wasn't in office, yet)...and, still you say Obama has "completely destroy[ed] our great country in one year"? You have to be kidding. really. there was barely anything left to destroy. he is rebuilding. give him time.

Casylius

Actually if you look back to our history, Jimmy Carter started the deregulation of the banking system. There was even more under Clinton. Dodd and Frank were the ones who were basically the brain child of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with their backing. I wouldn't go too far throwing stones in a glass house by saying it was all the GOP. Do some research on the subject and you will see what I am talking about. BOTH parties with their fiscal policies are to blame for the crap we are in now.

you really humor me. "sharpen your stakes"? have you been reading Twilight or something? I am looking at your post and wondering why you post such crap. it is nonsensical and is totally off base. This law will not be repealed. it will actually help things. The Republican party won't have enough seats in the house and senate to take their whining and complaining past the initial arguments. So, I suggest you get used to reform. it is the law of the land. Parasite programs? like? Medicare? Medicaid? social security? those are the only ones I can think of...if you want to take an old person's insurance and check, be my guest. Just make sure you explain yourself on judgment day.

Yes but the insurance companies know that they are going to have to start spending 80% of what they take in on actual health care for their customers. Not 80% profit to stick in their pockets. That is why they fought so hard against this bill.

wolffchad, Sorry that I must disagree with you. How could they even see their front door with their heads so far up their rear-ends?

GE, has their hands IN THE INSURANCE BUSINESS..............duh!

Wake up and smell the coffee Bill; It has been reported over 8 months ago that GE will garner a multi-billion dollar contract to make medical files electronic, once healthcare was passed. So now shortly you can worry about your med records being out there on the world wide web.

Last I heard, GE is an American company that hires many American workers. Now, the right doesn't want an American company that hires Americans to succeed? Wonderful!

You kind of missed the point mdionne - the "reason" GE is so positive about the plan is that it pays off for them in spades. They were bought off, so of course they "support" the plan.

And we wonder how this guy got elected... no doubt in my mind.

You kind of missed the point mdionne - the "reason" GE is so positive about the plan is that it pays off for them in spades. They were bought off, so of course they "support" the plan.

And we wonder how this guy got elected... no doubt in my mind.

Actually, I didn't miss the point. You don't like GE benefiting from the Health Care Reform Law and say they were "bought off". Just sounds like good old fashioned capitalism that independents and Republicans say they love so dearly. I guess it's only good capitalism when your corporations benefit.

It does. It's called the Health Insurance Exchange. Oh surprise, it takes time to set up the exchanges and get it running. If only health insurance were as fast as McDonalds or Burger King.

That in Fact is not the same! The exchanges are Federally set up with contributing insurance companies that the Federal Government allowed to enter the exchanges!

And your point is?

The echange is open to all heath insurance companies that agree to the rules of the exchange. I think the insurance companies are quite capable of following the rules (if the choose to) in order to participate and compete across State lines, otherwise they can stay where they are at.

Got notice today, 39% increase for my company.

That is just a lie. Anthem increased 39% in CA on March 8, before the bill was signed.

The Pathetic part is that this article states an under 26 child can be married and have children, and their parent can still cover their health insurance (Just Not their Spouse or Kids)!!

Hey,, welcome to "Obamarama".

But don't worry, the nightmare will be over soon.

"Coming to a voting booth near you, in November"

Obama out-fooled the folks who did not want the new health care law. How?

(1) by raising the age of children (son or daughter, married or not and with family) up to 26 years for insurance coverage, and (2) by providing student educational loans

As all of us know, the majority of uninsured persons are young and healthy adults. Now they will be insured, get the money, and they will VOTE FOR OBAMA AND THE DEMOCRATS.

Senior I don't know thats true! I am a 36 yo Type 1 diabetic and I have not had Insurance for awhile!! I need to have a job to get it, but that does not mean I cannot get medicine or medical help, either! It just costs me to stay alive!

beyonddisgust, I was not referring to folks in your situation. And, I wasn't referring to which side I was on. I was referring to how folks play (like chess) to get votes.

No Problem Senior. I did not take it personally. I just thought my situation might shed a little light on it!

I really appreciate your post Politically! I think this whole Bill had more to do with Common United States Politics then anything else!

Hope life is treating you well.

ok first of all i was not sure were you making comments on other peoples statements shocking you or are you speaking in actuality of life and your situtation if this is your situation there here it is! I have an idea for you! How about you pull the plug on the gaming system you got him and tell him to get a job or get out! People make it too easy these days granted but that is what teaching values is for! If you do not set bounderies then your gonna get suckered! IF you let them sit on their butts all their life what else would you expect to get out of them!

And if this was mocking on what others have said

beyond - what's your point? I am a type 2, plus a little bp and cholesterol to treat, I pay everything out of pocket.

I hate to break it to you, but it costs everyone just to live.