It appears that government doesn’t have to move slowly, crushed under the weight of bureaucracy. The video below shows the CTO of the WhiteHouse and the Chief of New Media for the Obama Administration talking with TechCrunch.tv correspondent about what it was like to launch a fully functional and useful Healthcare.gov website.

Then the second video is President Obama running through a demo of the site. In his reun-through he mentions that the site has sections for employee provided healthcare, private options, small business options. The latter helps small business owners find the best insurance plans for themselves and for employees.

It’s impressive that this website build-out was accomplished very quickly, much like a startup might approach it, rather than the stodgy, slow pace that we expect from government.

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Health care costs are a growing concern amongst small and large business owners throughout America. The cost of medicine in the United States is out of control, with the average CT Scan or MRI costing thousands of dollars. Simple and complex treatments, office visits, and procedures are costing employers millions of dollars while decreasing the profitability of their organizations. Because of the rising health care costs, employers are forced to reduce bonuses, reduce spending, and sometimes layoff employees, which increases stress.

Employers can manage health care costs in a society that is preparing for major health care renovation by monitoring the eligibility of spouses and dependents, investigating and reporting all claims, switching to different policies, encouraging spousal health insurance, reducing workers compensation payouts, and developing a legal team to handle litigation and settlement issues.

Utilizing competitive business strategies that monitor expenses closely can control health insurance costs. In 2007 the average employer paid $12,106 in health care costs, with the employee picking up $3,281 of the bill. Health care costs continue to rise, causing employers financial distress.

An employee’s family is one of the largest health care expenses businesses deal with, as children and spouses become ill over the course of their policy. It is commonplace for businesses to spend millions on an employee’s dependent or spouse. Companies can reduce the amount of money spent on spouses and dependents by actively investigating all non-employee claims.

In most policies a dependent is defined as someone under 18 or who is a full time student below a certain age. The new Obamacare insurance reform requires employers to pay for dependents under 26; however, many current policies set the age at 23 or 24.

Employers can minimize health care costs by ensuring any person over 18 is a full time non-exempt student. Employers can encourage employees to set their dependents up with school-sponsored insurance, which reduces the employers overall cost. Additionally, employers can alter the policies to remove unrestrictive verbiage from the documents, such as policies that do not require older dependents to be in school. Verification of a dependent’s status can be obtained from leading national clearinghouses and verification services at a fraction of the price of their health plan.

There are other health insurance loopholes employers can leverage, such as retiree benefits for dependents as well as dental and vision services. Limit the scope of retiree health plans by removing dependent coverage, only providing medical services to the employee’s spouse. Additionally, consider modifying vision and dental coverage for dependents by limiting it to essential and preventative services.

Employers can significantly reduce the amount of money they spend on an employee’s health insurance plan by utilizing plans with high deductibles, which ensure that their workers are protected in case of major illness or injury. Additionally, deductibles place most of the annual expenses on the employee, with the employer serving as backup in case of life threatening illness, expensive operations, and other expensive procedures, such as CT Scans or MRIs.

High deductible plans are ideal for small and large businesses that want to minimize health care costs and risks associated with high premium traditional plans. Employees are made aware of their high deductibles and take a proactive approach to their health, avoiding expensive hospitalizations for otherwise preventable diseases, such as diabetes.

When employees are aware of the true cost of health care, their overall demeanor towards a healthy lifestyle improves. They also are more appreciative of the services and benefits their current employer offers.

Encourage employees to utilize their spouse’s employer paid health insurance package if it is available. The strategy can be marketed as providing them with the maximum coverage, pointing out how their spouses program is a viable alternative. Educate employees on the open enrollment procedure, fostering communication within their family regarding the topic.

Employees can save up to $5,000 by switching to their spouse’s insurance, especially if said employee was on a high deductible policy. Another option is to encourage employees to split their dependent’s coverage amongst both of the health plans, minimizing financial risk to your business.

It is illegal to demand that employees switch to their spouse’s plan or remove dependents from their policy. Incentive programs are unethical but may drive lower health care costs in your organization. Use this method as a last resort, as some employees may take action against the company. Insurance commissioners frown upon the incentive or spousal switching program, thus it is best to encourage the splitting of spouse and employee coverage.

The fastest and most efficient way to decrease health care costs is by encouraging your employees and management staff to live a healthy and preventative lifestyle. Preventative care costs far less than other medical procedures, which reduces the out of pocket expenses for both the business and employee. Offer awards or incentive programs for employees who quit smoking, lose weight, stop drinking, or take a proactive approach to their health.

Be careful when publicly honoring the employee in front of their coworkers, as some may be nervous or reserved, these are sensitive topics after all. Healthy living programs foster a wholesome lifestyle, in which the employee receives routine checkups and works to reduce preventable conditions, such as obesity and high cholesterol. Healthy lifestyle programs can target diet, weight loss, smoking, alcoholism, aging, and stress. Additionally, healthy employees can participate by continuing to exercise on a routine basis and reducing their stress levels.

Copyright © 2010 Thayne Carper http://www.thaynecarper.com/

— Thayne Carper spent 4 years of college competing in student business plan competitions. He’s never won a business plan competition and was dropped from his college’s entrepreneurial program for lacking potential. Today, he is one of the youngest published experts on the topic of business turnarounds and cost reduction. Visit his website lower supply costs up to 30% for a copy of his report “The Definitive Guide to Doubling Your Profits in less than 6 Months” (http://www.ThayneCarper.com/FreeReport) and learn how you can easily lower supply and service costs up to 30% without hiring a consultant. Learn more: http://www.ThayneCarper.com/

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Proactive measure will help parents keep their children insured until new provisions of health care reform law take affect

Schenectady, NY (Vocus/PRWEB ) April 28, 2010 — MVP Health Care announced today that it is taking steps to prevent a gap in health insurance coverage for many young adults in New York, Vermont and New Hampshire.

MVP’s action means that dependents up to age 26 who are currently covered on their parents’ health benefit plans will retain their coverage until the dependent coverage provisions of Federal health care reform take effect beginning in September.

Each year, especially around June following college graduations, many young adult college students who have been covered on their parents’ health insurance plans through student waivers “age off” their parents’ policy. Federal Health care reform legislation, signed into law last month, addressed this issue by extending the dependent age for coverage to 26. This new law, however, applies to policy renewals after Sept. 23, 2010. As such, many dependents would have faced a coverage gap during the months before this provision is fully implemented, which could take as long as a year in some cases.

“This is the right thing to do, and it is something we can do now,” said David W. Oliker, MVP Health Care President and CEO. “Realizing that this component of health care reform legislation would not be phased in for several months – after many young people lose their coverage because of their age, student status, or other factors – we concluded that it was vital to close this gap and extend coverage.”

“By making this change in advance of the law, we can ensure that many young people who are currently covered on their parents’ plans are able to hold on to their coverage and access the care they need,” said William Little, MVP Health Care vice president for Vermont.

“Protecting access to quality, affordable health care benefits for our members is always a priority,” said Chris Henchey, MVP executive vice president and Chief Operating Officer. “Thousands of young adults are set to graduate from college over the next few weeks throughout New York, Vermont and new Hampshire, and we’re pleased to be able to continue to offer them coverage.”

Founded in 1983, MVP Health Care is a regional, not-for-profit health insurer based in Schenectady, N.Y. Through its operating subsidiaries, it provides fully insured and self-funded employer health benefits plans, dental insurance, and ancillary products, such as flexible-spending accounts, to 750,000 subscribers in New York State, Vermont and New Hampshire. For more information, visit: MVP Health Care.

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Breakthrough Technology Helps Reduce Cost of Durable Medical Equipment and Supplies by 30 Percent

Boston (Vocus/PRWEB ) April 28, 2010 — Healthcare Solutions and Broadspire today announced a technology-enabled durable medical equipment (DME) formulary that significantly reduces workers’ compensation costs. The formulary, which was developed using clinical protocols, can ensure appropriate utilization and helps to mitigate the rising costs of medical equipment and supplies. During the first month of implementation, Broadspire clients realized an average savings of 30 percent per DME transaction.

The DME formulary improves the process of administrating durable medical equipment and supplies through inclusion of proprietary clinical protocols during the order process. The program provides injured workers necessary medical equipment at the lowest price to support them in getting back to work quickly and safely while saving money for employers.

“DME and supplies account for approximately 10 percent of workers’ compensation annual medical spending,” said Eileen Ramallo, executive vice president for Healthcare Solutions. “Our DME formulary applies the same principles of a pharmacy formulary, which uses clinically-based guidelines and utilization management controls to reduce costs while ensuring appropriate care for injured workers. As an added benefit, the technology reduces the workload of claims adjusters by streamlining the DME process and automating decisions based on customer-specific protocols.”

During the DME order process, the formulary automatically compares the injured worker’s injury to the request and instantly reviews customer-specific clinical protocols and cost appropriateness.

The formulary also flags high-cost products and automatically notifies the customers’ claims adjuster and clinical review team, providing multiple product options that are supported by evidence-based medicine to consider in completing the order.

“The new DME formulary can result in a significant reduction in total claim costs, more consistency in order processing and assurance that injured workers are receiving the right care,” said Danielle Lisenbey, chief operating officer, Medical Services for Broadspire. “We are pleased to further demonstrate our commitment to customers in developing this unique program that leverages our expertise in medical management. It goes beyond simply managing claims to returning meaningful results to our customers.”

The program’s systemic approach, which is enabled by technology, is currently the fastest and easiest way for DME orders to be approved and completed.

About Healthcare Solutions
Healthcare Solutions, Inc. is the parent company of Cypress Care and Procura Management. Through its affiliated companies, Healthcare Solutions serves as a health service company delivering integrated solutions to the property and casualty markets, specializing in workers’ compensation and auto liability/PIP. The company’s customers include insurance carriers, third party administrators (TPAs), managed care organizations (MCOs), government agencies and self-insured employers. Utilizing market-leading technology, Healthcare Solutions delivers demonstrated benefits and savings complemented by deep industry expertise. For more information, please visit www.healthcaresolutions.com

About Broadspire
Broadspire, a leading international third party administrator for large self-insured organizations, offers a broad array of customized claim and medical management services designed to increase employee productivity and contain costs. Broadspire’s U.S. offering of workers compensation, auto and general liability claims administration, medical management and absence and care management, is available bundled or individually. In addition, Crawford & Company, Broadspire’s parent, provides liability, motor and property claims management services in Europe under the Broadspire brand. Broadspire is based in Atlanta, Ga., with a network of 85 locations throughout the United States. (www.choosebroadspire.com) and Europe (www.Broadspire.eu), including the United Kingdom (www.BroadspireTPA.co.uk).

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By Wiley P Long

You can keep your health savings account (HSA), and your HSA-qualified health insurance with the new health care reform laws. Existing plans will be “grandfathered” in, so you can keep existing coverage for as long as the insurance company continues to sell it.

If you’ve put off researching the benefits of HSA plans, now is the time to do so. Why now? Plans may change as portions of the new laws take effect, and insurance companies alter the plans they sell. Find the best plan to fit your needs now, and compare that to new plans as they become available. That way you’ll be guaranteed the best coverage for your situation among the existing plans, and the plans to come.

High-Deductible Health Insurance Plans

The high-deductible health insurance plans that are qualified to be combined with health savings accounts offers lower premiums. Since the selection of these plans could be reduced in the future, shop now to lock in lower premiums.

Starting in 2014, you will no longer be able to have a plan with a $20,000 deductible. However, if you already have a high-deductible plan, you will be able to keep it as long as it’s for sale. Several insurance companies offer two- and three-year rate guarantees, including Assurant, Golden Rule, and World.

Health Care Reform Changes This Year

Here are some of the changes, and how you can maximize your benefits and minimize your costs.

On September 23rd, the first phase of the law will bring some welcome benefits. The lifetime limits in policies will end so policies will be more valuable. Those limits now are typically from $1 to $5 million.

In addition, children with pre-existing conditions will no longer be denied coverage. Coverage will also increase for young adults because they will be able to get coverage through their parents’ policies until the children reach age 27.

As a HSA owner, you may stay healthy by focusing on preventive services, and with the new law, preventive services will be covered 100 percent. That means no co-pay or deductible.

Also in 2010, HSA reimbursements will be expanded to domestic and same-sex partners. This means that anyone with money in a HSA could use those funds to pay for a partner’s medical, or dental expenses tax-free.

Health Care Reform Changes For The Future

In 2011, over-the-counter medicines will no longer be qualified expenses from your HSA unless a doctor states they are medically necessary. The penalty for withdrawals from your HSA for non-medical expenses will also increase from 10 percent to 20 percent.

In 2014, people without minimum health insurance coverage who are not eligible for subsidized help will face a penalty of $95, or 1 percent of their income. That may make health savings accounts with their lower-premium, high-deductible plans even more popular.

If you’re under age 30, lower-cost catastrophic plans that cover only three primary care visits until the deductible is reached will be acceptable.

If you’re over age 30, you’ll need insurance that covers at least 60 percent of the actuarial value of the benefits offered, or the average medical expenses incurred by a typical person in a year.

With underwriting eliminated, if you have pre-existing conditions, you will qualify for coverage. There will be a maximum 90-day waiting period before a new policy holder can be covered.

HSA Tax Deductions Become Increasingly Important

Individuals with annual incomes that exceed $200,000, and couples with combined incomes that exceed $250,000 will pay an additional 0.9 percent in Medicare payroll tax beginning in 2013. There will also be an additional 3.8 percent Medicare tax on investment income.

When people are required to maintain minimum health insurance coverage, HSA plans will continue to be the best value for most consumers. See what the lower premiums, and tax deductions can mean for your bottom line.

By Wiley Long – President, HSA for America ( http://www.health–savings–accounts.com ) – The nation’s leading independent health insurance firm specializing in HSA Plans that works with a Health Savings Account.

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Kaiser Permanente and Ragan Communications present:
Health Care Communicators Summit
A practical how-to conference for Health Care, Public Relations, Marketing, and Social Media
June 7–9, 2010 • Kaiser Permanente Sidney R. Garfield Health Care Innovation Center • San Leandro, Calif.
Price: $1395
Member Price: $1145

The hottest social media trends in health care!

Don’t miss this how-to conference. Every session gives you tips and strategies from best-practice case studies!

Our health care pros know social media inside and out. Transform your marketing, media relations, internal communications, and PR.

You’ll learn how to:

Use Facebook and Twitter—must haves!—to help customers, build communities, and sell your brand Persuade execs to support social media and to blog—on a bare-bones budget.

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First Quarter Funding Includes Focus on Expanding Access to Healthy Food, Activities, Health Care and Education

OAKLAND, Calif. — Kaiser Permanente, one of America’s leading health care providers and nonprofit health plans, announced today it approved more than 250 grants and donations nationwide totaling approximately $7 million in the first quarter of 2010. The grants focused on expanding access to nutritious food, providing safe spaces for all ages to increase physical activity, increasing opportunities for continuing education, and eliminating health disparities.

“Combating obesity through access to good food and safe neighborhood activities is important to good health, as is quality health care,” said Raymond J. Baxter, PhD, senior vice president, Community Benefit, Research and Health Policy, Kaiser Permanente. “Our continued commitment to our communities, as illustrated with our participation in the Partnership for a Healthier America and our contribution to MAZON of Los Angeles is to provide the resources and tools for people of all ages to lead healthy lives.”

Kaiser Permanente’s contributions nationwide in the first quarter of 2010 included, but were not limited to, grants in the categories below:

Promoting Healthy Communities
Kaiser Permanente contributed seed funding and is a founding member of the Partnership for a Healthier America, an initiative supporting first lady Michelle Obama’s pledge to curb the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation. Kaiser Permanente joined four other health funders to launch this initiative and provide support to the new organization.

MAZON of Los Angeles, a national nonprofit organization that allocates donations from the Jewish community to prevent and alleviate hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds, is the recipient of $618,010 over 29 months for the Healthy Options, Healthy Meals program. The goal of the program, which will be implemented nationally, is to increase access to nutritious and balanced meals to approximately 7 million people through organizational changes in food banks and food pantries reflecting an increased focus on the link between food insecurity and obesity.

Kaiser Permanente approved a $500,000 grant to the Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s Students of Promise program. Formerly Governor Ted Strickland’s Closing the Achievement Gap program, Students of Promise is dedicated to providing guidance and available resources to help ninth grade students develop expectations of self and raise their educational standards. Special attention is focused on student promotion to the 10th grade, preparing students for the Ohio Graduation Test, and supporting test-taking skills and high school graduation.

Kaiser Permanente allocated $250,000 to the city of Los Angeles for the Operation Splash Aquatic Program. Goals of the program are threefold: to teach youth ages 7 through 17 to swim, to provide Junior Lifeguard training to 780 children, and to extend the Department of Recreation and Parks summer season for one week at seven city pools. The program makes city swimming pools open to all Los Angeles residents, regardless of income.

The Community Health Partnership is the recipient of a $139,000, two-year grant for a Health Impact Assessment of urban planning in the Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood of southeast Portland, Ore., which is one of the city’s most underserved and rapidly diversifying neighborhoods. Results of the HIA will be used to convince the city’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability to include health as a consideration in the city’s comprehensive plan, which could eventually guide planning for parks and access to fresh produce through farmers markets in the neighborhood.

Ecotrust of Portland is the recipient of $140,000 over three years toward the organization’s Healthy Foods for Health Kids and Communities program. Funding will be used to connect school food purchasers with local farmers and producers so the producers can better understand school-specific needs. The program also will assist school districts in promoting local agriculture in cafeterias and classrooms.

Holy Cross Hospital of Maryland is the recipient of $161,040 for its Senior Fit program. The program targets seniors in socioeconomic areas that may otherwise not have access to exercise programs, especially those that focus on upper- and lower-body strength, flexibility and cardiovascular endurance.

Expanding Safety Net Access
The Integrated Recovery Network of Los Angeles County is the recipient of $250,000 over two years to expand the capacity of its Homeless Services Collaboration. The grant funding will be used to increase the number of homeless individuals the IRN assists through the provision of coordinated care and placements into permanent supportive housing. Grant funds also will help the agency build its internal fund development capacity.

Careers in Health Care
Kaiser Permanente has awarded $120,000 to the Health Professions Education Foundation for the Allied Healthcare Scholarship Program. The program was developed in 1993 to encourage allied health professionals to practice direct patient care in California’s medically underserved areas. Health professional students receiving Kaiser Permanente-funded AHSP scholarships must commit to practicing a minimum of one to three years in medically underserved areas.

Eliminating Health Disparities
The Center for Intercultural Organizing of Oregon is the recipient of a $225,000 grant over three years to support the Pan-Refugee and Immigrant Social Movement-Building project. The organization strives to implement a comprehensive plan for engaging immigrants and refugees into civic life, and training emerging local leaders through skill-building workshops and community organizing events.

Kaiser Permanente funded The Children’s Institute of Oregon with $200,000 over three years for the Essential Investments in the First Five Years program. The funding will enable The Children’s Institute to add prenatal and early childhood health education, policy, and advocacy planning to their previous work to support at-risk preschoolers through Head Start Pre-Kindergarten.

The Fair Share Research and Education Fund of Oregon will receive $300,000 over three years for its People of Color Collaborative. Funding will enable Fair Share and its coalition partners to address health disparities by building a statewide network of organizations led by immigrants and refugees, which will focus on changing public policy and practices to eliminate racial disparities.

The Western States Center of Oregon is the recipient of a $100,000 grant over three years for its Organized Communities, Healthy Communities project. The grant will help at least 10 additional community-based organizations participate in the center’s summer programs in the areas of leadership development, community organizing, civic participation and political power, and research and action for change and equity.

About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 8.6 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.

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About as far as you can mosey from the health care reform heat of Washington, D.C., sits Avogadro’s Number, a quirky sub shop in Fort Collins, Colo., where you get a free veggie sub on Mondays for each one you buy.

That freebie sub is darned important at a time when folks are pinching pennies. So, too, is health care reform.

As far as shop owner Rob Osborne is concerned, the historic health care reform package that President Obama plans to sign into law today, is a lot like Osborne’s sub sandwiches: A little bit of this. A little bit of that. And, in the end, made to look digestible.

So Osborne is holding his nose and is willing to bite — even swallow — health care reform, even though he suspects it’s going to hurt his shop’s bottom line, and he may have to raise prices.

via Small-business owners unclear on health care impact – USATODAY.com.

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With the assistance of web design firm, Blue Water Media, Sterling Behavioral Health Services launches a redesigned website which highlights its premium mental health services.

Washington, DC (PRWEB) April 11, 2010 — Sterling Behavioral Health Services (SBHS), a provider of multi-disciplinary mental health services, recently launched a redesigned website which demonstrates why its behavioral health services are second to none. SBHS provides a variety of services which include: anger management, depression, family therapy, group therapy, panic attacks, medication management, psychological testing, and sleep problems. SBHS’ new website provides and engaging and informative portal for clients to explore SBHS’ premier services.

The redesigned website combines an intuitive site architecture with an attractive user interface resulting in an appealing and educational website. The site opens with a picture depicting a family enjoying the benefits of mental health. Immediately below the graphic lies a description of the company. The site’s main navigation toolbar lies to the left of the image and includes links to: SBHS Team, Services, Forms, and Insurance. Each link leads to a drop down list of additional subpages. For example, the SBHS Team link leads to four additional pages including: About, Psychiatrists, Psychologists, and Clinicians.

Blue Water Media designed the website to be a user friendly portal for patients to find out how SBHS can help them achieve mental stability. To make the site more user friendly, Blue Water Media installed an intuitive site architecture along with helpful toolbars to streamline users to their page of interest. Blue Water Media worked collaboratively with SBHS to input data relevant to its Loudoun County clients. Thus, users can discover all about SBHS’ premium services and staff without ever having to visit its Ashburn, VA location. In addition, SBHS has uploaded a number of forms to the website for patients to download and prepare before visiting the office. The partnership between Blue Water Media and SBHS has resulted in an exciting website which will help bring its services to life.

About Sterling Behavioral Health Services
Sterling Behavioral Health Services (SBHS), based out of Ashburn, VA, is the largest multi-disciplinary mental health practice in Loudoun County. SBHS has been serving Northern Virginia, Washington DC, West Virginia, and Maryland since its conception in 2001. SBHS provides a number of services under psychological testing and clinical services including neuropsychological testing and adult, adolescent, and child psychiatry and therapy. SBHS’s premier staff includes board certified psychiatrists, licensed clinical psychologists, and licensed masters-level clinicians. For more information, please visit: http://www.sbhsva.com/

About Blue Water Media
Blue Water Media is a Washington D.C. based web design agency offering a comprehensive line of design services including print, brand identity and web design. Blue Water Media has been providing expert service to businesses in the Washington DC metro area and beyond for nearly a decade. Blue Water Media’s wealth of experience and winning track record of creating effective websites has garnered a number of industry awards and establishes it as an industry leader. For more information, please visit: http://www.bluewatermedia.com/

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A look at the health reform measure passed today through the eyes of a child brought to you by the health coverage experts at the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University. By creating reliable, affordable coverage options that won’t disappear when a parent becomes sick or loses a job, the legislation protects and strengthens the well-being and financial stability of our nation’s children and their families.

Washington, DC (PRWEB) March 21, 2010 — The Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University Released the Following Statement on Health Reform Passed by U.S. House of Representatives Today:

The House of Representatives has taken a historic step today in support of America’s families by passing health reform legislation today.

By creating reliable, affordable coverage options that won’t disappear when a parent becomes sick or loses a job, the legislation protects and strengthens the well-being and financial stability of our nation’s children and their families.

The key provisions for families and children include:

• Makes coverage more affordable for middle class families by boosting their bargaining power through new health exchanges and providing tax credits to those who need extra help buying insurance.
• Provides Medicaid coverage to low-income families, allowing children and parents to be covered together.
• Continues the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) which has successfully worked in partnership with Medicaid to drive down the number of uninsured children to its lowest level in over 20 years.
• Ends insurance companies’ discrimination based on pre-existing conditions. Starting right away, children who have insurance can’t be denied coverage for a pre-existing condition.
• Allows parents to keep their college-age children (up to age 27*) on their family health plans.
• Requires insurance companies to provide pediatrician-recommended care for children so they can grow and thrive,

With health reform finally past it’s last big hurdle toward enactment, efforts cannot start soon enough to help America’s families who will be expecting results. As a first win for families, states can reach out to the five million uninsured children who already qualify for Medicaid or CHIP coverage to help sign them up right now.

(* This age has been widely reported as 26 but legislative language indicates that coverage will continue until age 27.)

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