In a recession, when young adults can’t find jobs, that also may mean that they can’t find health insurance.

A Commonwealth Fund study, says this story, showed that 45% of young adults between 19-29 had no health plan for at least some portion of the year last year.

One major side effect of this has been the insurance gap between home and independence. Health plans used to end dependent coverage at 18 or, at best, 21.

The health reform bill will allow parents to keep their kids on their health plan up to age 26.

As this Baltimore Sun story says, while this part of the law does not go into effect until later this year but some major insurers are not going to make families wait.

The Baltimore Sun

“A provision of federal health care reform that takes effect later this year will allow young adults to stay on their parents’ health insurance plan up until age 26.

“But some major insurers say they won’t make young consumers wait. They plan to start extending that coverage to young adults in June or earlier. And these insurers will offer large employers that self-fund their plans — and often drop young adults once they graduate from college — the chance to get a jumpstart on the federal mandate, too. (Emphasis added)

“This is the time of year that many families start worrying about health insurance for students about to graduate from college and lose coverage from a parent’s plan. Many of us get our medical coverage through an employer, and the concern is that a new grad who can’t find work in today’s weak job market will go without insurance.

“A study by the Commonwealth Fund found that 45 percent of people ages 19 to 29 went without health insurance for a period last year.“  (Emphasis added)

“About 25 states, including Maryland, offer some protection against this.”

Source: Baltimore Sun, April 27, 2010