Legislation approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee on
July 16 would allow seriously ill college students to continue coverage under
their parents’ health insurance plans even if they can’t maintain status as
full-time students.
The measure, H.R. 2851, approved on a 40-0 vote, would allow college students
to retain coverage for up to 12 months after they take a leave of absence.
Coverage would continue on the same basis as prior to the student going on
leave.
The legislation is modeled after a 2006 New Hampshire law known as
“Michelle’s Law.” The New Hampshire law was named for Michelle Morse, a
Manchester, New Hampshire, college student who continued her studies while
battling cancer so that she could maintain health insurance coverage. Morse died
in 2005.
Unlike the New Hampshire law, which only applies to fully insured policies
offered by commercial insurers and health maintenance organizations because of
federal pre-emption of state laws that relate to employee benefit plans, the
federal legislation would apply to both insured and self-insured plans.
Filed by Jerry Geisel of Business Insurance, a sister publication of
Workforce Management. To comment, e-mail editors@workforce.com.
= Member Only
