On May 10th, the Obama Administration issued regulations as part of the Affordable Care Act that will allow young adults to stay on their parents' health insurance plans until age 26.

The Affordable Care Act, reforming the health system in the U.S., is a boon for millions of twenty-something adults who are not established in the workforce enough to have access to employer-based health insurance--but in the past were considered "too old" by insurance companies to stay under their parents' plan. Buying health insurance in the private market is very expensive, and young adults often go without health insurance and cross their fingers that they will not get sick.

Yesterday, Secretary Sebelius of the Department of Health and Human Services released specific regulations regarding this part of the new health reform law. In her comments, Secretary Sebelius stated:

"Thanks to the rule we're establishing today, no young American will have to take that risk ever again... insurers will be required to allow any American under the age of 26 who doesn't get health insurance through their job to stay on their parents' plan."

The timing for this particular part of the reform is significant, as the regulations are being released four months earlier than the law requires, with every major insurance company and many organizations that are self-insured agreeing to continue coverage for these young adults.

We know health care is a complicated topic. If you're unsure about how the passage of the health reform bill is going to affect you and your family, we can help. Find fact sheets, myth-busting, implementation time lines and common Q&As online at SEIU's Health Care Reform Central.

Do you have a specific question about reform? You can submit your question to SEIU's Health Care Policy Team using our online form here. Answers to your questions will be posted on SEIU.org on a weekly basis at http://seiu.me/hcranswers.