U.S. Representative Kathy Castor announced today that some health insurers will begin to voluntarily provide coverage to graduating college seniors and young adults under age 26 in advance of the September effective date provided in the recently enacted health insurance reform law. In the Tampa Bay area alone, more than 300,000 young adults can be covered under their parents’ policies.

"For soon-to-be graduates of the University of South Florida, University of Tampa, Eckerd College, Hillsborough Community College, St. Petersburg College and other schools, this is a great graduation present," Castor said. "I urge all private health insurance companies to follow suit so that more young Floridians have affordable access to doctors and other medical services.

"With such a large community of college students and young adults in Tampa Bay, thousands of parents and families will have peace of mind that their child’s graduation does not result in the headache and heartache of going without medical care or winding up with huge medical bills. Now when our college students leave campus with their diplomas, they will also leave campus with the security that they will have health insurance until age 26."

Young adults are highly likely to be uninsured, with some estimates showing that 47 percent of those ages 19 to 34 have gone without health insurance at some point in the last year. Likewise, approximately 53 percent of young adults are offered health insurance coverage through their jobs, compared with 74 percent of those ages 30 to 64.

Five health insurance companies are enacting the Age 26 provision immediately, rather than waiting until the September enactment date. Those companies are United Health Care, WellPoint, Humana, Blue Cross, Blue Shield and Kaiser Permanente.