More Carriers To Close Coverage Gaps

Starting June 1, WellPoint will offer the continuation option both to the children of group plan members and individual health policyholders.

Self-insured clients and members will have the option of not offering this extended coverage, WellPoint says.

Humana says its decision affects the adult children of members who are enrolled in the company's fully insured group plans. Like UnitedHealth, Humana already lets adult children of individual policyholders stay on their parents' or guardians' coverage until age 26.

Humana is also encouraging large employers that self-fund their coverage with Humana to extend coverage to the adult children of employees who would otherwise lose coverage this year.

Pushing up the effective data of the coverage continuation provision will "enable young, overwhelmingly healthy people, who will not engender large health care costs, to stay in the insurance pool and retain important insurance coverage," Sebelius has written in a letter to insurers. "Taking this step will also save money for your companies by avoiding the administrative costs of dis-enrolling and then re-enrolling young adults. Avoiding this gap would also eliminate an unnecessary inconvenience and disruption in health insurance coverage for both young adults and their parents."