Health Insurance Legislation

In the U.S., having some degree of insurance is legally necessary as part of the Affordable Care Act. A person without health insurance has to pay a fine.

However, policymakers removed the Individual Mandate in the Affordable Care Act from the legislation in 2019. Insurance is no longer an individual legal requirement in the U.S.

If the policy also covers the children in the family, a person is allowed to be on their parents’ insurance until the age of 26 years, even if they are:

• married

• living away from home

• not financially dependent on their parents

• eligible to be included on their employer’s coverage

Insurance is regulated at state level, meaning that buying a policy in one state is different from doing so in another.

Although state legislation can affect the price of a policy, the important decisions about a person’s coverage and reimbursements rest with the insurer. People should be sure to have their broker or customer services representative discuss the impact of any changing legislation on their particular policy.