Geisinger Health Plan® - Press Release - GHP extends coverage for young adults

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For Immediate Release

April 23, 2010

Geisinger Health Plan extends coverage for young adults

DANVILLE, PA –In response to an insurance industry request from Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Geisinger Health Plan will allow currently eligible dependents to remain on their parents' individual policies. This is one of the requirements in the health-care reform Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 2010 (PPACA). The dependent coverage requirement becomes effective on September 23.

"We understand the importance and value of health coverage," says Jean Haynes, president and CEO of Geisinger Health Plan. "We are working closely with individuals and employers to explore options to preserve our members' coverage."

Young adults who have already aged off their parents' policies and lack coverage through an employer must still wait until the law's provisions actually take effect to get back on. For these individuals, Geisinger Health Plan offers a short-term health insurance plan for individuals including young Americans who may have already lost their coverage. The policy can last anywhere from 31 to 180 days.

Geisinger Health Plan, begun in 1985, is headquartered in Danville, PA and is one of the nation's largest rural HMOs. GHP is currently the top-rated plan in Pennsylvania and #6 in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) America's Best Health Insurance Plans 2009-10*. The plan serves more than 220,000 members in 42 counties. Coverage is available for businesses of all sizes, individuals and families, and Medicare beneficiaries. As part of the Geisinger Health System, GHP has been recognized nationally as a model for health care reform with documented success in innovative programs such as the patient-centered medical home. For more information, please visit www.thehealthplan.com.

*America’s Best Health Insurance Plans is a registered trademark of U.S. News & World Report.

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For more information, please contact
Amy Bowen, Public Relations Coordinator, (570) 271-8135

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