January 21, 2010.  SHARE grantee Joel Cantor has released a new issue brief titled, "Dependent Coverage Expansions: Estimating the Impact of Current State Policies," in which Dr. Cantor and his research team write about state efforts to reduce the number of uninsured young adults by increasing the age of eligibility for dependent coverage under private group insurance.  These initiatives have wide political appeal because they have little--if any--impact on state budgets but hold the potential to expand insurance coverage for young adults, who are particularly vulnerable to uninsurance as they transition from childhood to adulthood. 

The authors studied 20 states that have implemented dependent coverage expansions, observing that there was small increase in young adult dependent coverage across multiple states with such expansions in place from 2001 to 2008.  However, this increase was offset by a decline in other sources of coverage, with no impact evident on the overall likelihood of being insured.  

These findings, while preliminary, raise questions about the effectiveness of a strategy for expanding coverage that is very popular--indeed, the strategy has garnered attention at the federal level, with dependent coverage expansions included in both the House and Senate health reform bills.  The authors note that dependent coverage expansions could play out differently on a national level but urge federal policymakers to consider state experiences when developing the national legislation.

Link to a PDF of Dr. Cantor's brief, "Dependent Coverage Expansions: Estimating the Impact of Current State Policies."