BlueCross extends coverage early to children of members Chattanooga Times Free Press
BlueCross and BlueShield of Tennessee said Thursday it is joining other health insurers in voluntarily expediting a popular feature of the health care reform plan adopted last month.
The Tennessee BlueCross plan, the state's biggest health insurer, announced Thursday that it will let thousands of young adults remain on their parents' health insurance policies up to age 26 after June 1 rather than waiting for the Sept. 23 starting date for such coverage under the new federal health care law.
Most BlueCross plans now cover dependents only up to age 24, and many health plans restrict coverage to dependents only up to age 19. But the health care plan signed into law in March will require health insurance eventually to cover any children of parents with health insurance up to age 26, unless the children are eligible for coverage under another plan or are married.
"By making this change in advance of the law, we can ensure that our young members are able to hold on to their coverage and access the care they need," BlueCross President Vicky Gregg said in her announcement of the expanded coverage Thursday.