This year, 1.4 million graduates will be receiving their college degrees, but many of them will be losing their parents’ health insurance, according to The Wall Street Journal. Many group health plans cover employees’ children up to age 19 or 23, forcing many young men and women to find their own health insurance. The WSJ has assembled some ways to find health insurance and talks about how some young people are getting creative in the process. Details, inside…

Graphic courtesy of WSJ:Most people are unaware that at least 18 states have laws that allow parents to extend their coverage to older dependents, whether or not they are in college, often up to ages 23 or 25. A list of these states and their age limitations can be found here.

One creative student, Phillip Ngo, was dropped from his fathers’ employers’ insurance once he graduated college. Even though he had a degree, Phillip decided to enroll as an online student at a local college simply to regain his student status. Once he presented proof of enrollment to his fathers’ company, he was put back on the plan.

Getting health insurance is usually neither easy nor cheap, but if you familiarize yourself with your states’ laws and find out details about your parents’ existing plans, it could be a little easier than you think. Check out the WSJ’s full article to learn about how some other young people found health insurance.

Graduates Get Creative To Find Health Coverage [WSJ] (Thanks to Mary!)
Who is Insured and For How long? [NCSL]
(Photo: Getty)

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