Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the State Health Access Reform Evaluation (SHARE) analyzed laws in 38 states which mandate that adults in their mid- or late-twenties receive health coverage as dependents through their parents’ plans.  The report provides federal policy makers with data on which to base potential national policy aimed at reducing the 29 percent uninsurance rate among adults ages 19-29.  However, preliminary findings indicate that state laws have had no net effect on coverage rates.  The report also provides data on the structure of individual state laws.

From the report:

Currently, there is no federal statute that defines “dependent” for coverage purposes, although the issue has arisen in the current federal reform discussion. In the absence of federal action to define and expand dependent coverage, 38 states have taken measures to do so on their own as of late 2009.[v] These states have mandated the expansion of de-pendent coverage (in some form) to adults in their mid-twenties and beyond. In some cases, states have expanded the definition of dependent coverage to include older children up to 25 or 30 years old, with student status often a factor. The varied approaches of these states can provide lessons for those considering such expansions at both the state and federal level.

Full report: Dependent Coverage Expansions: Estimating the Impact of Current State Policies (PDF | 640.68 KB)

RWJF and SHARE (2010). Dependent coverage expansions: estimating the impact of current state policies.  Cantor, J.C., Monheit, A.C., Belloff, D., DeLia, D., and Koller, M.