Do We Need a Slacker Mandate?
Tuesday, May 27th, 2008 By Marc Kilmer
One of the trendy ideas in health care reform is a “slacker mandate” — requiring insurance companies to cover “children” on their parents insurance up to the age of 25 or 30. The idea is meant to address the fact that young adults make up a large portion of the uninsured. This idea has hit Ohio in the form of SB 115, which is ostensibly aimed at covering “dependent children” up to the age of 30.
One, there is no requirement in the bill that those covered be dependent. It merely states that they can’t be working at a job that offers health care benefits.
Two, since when are adults up to the age of 30 still considered “children”?
New Jersey was the first state to adopt such a mandate. It didn’t really go too well.
Tags: General Assembly, Health care
