What you need to know about ... Young adult health coverage

UFT members who have dependent children between the ages of 19 and 29 will benefit from new health care legislation. Details about the New York State (age 29) coverage and the federal (age 26) health care coverage were published in the May 18 issue of the New York Teacher, which is available online at www.uft.org.

In summary:

UFT Welfare Fund coverage

• Dependent children who are between the ages of 19 and 23 and are currently covered by the Welfare Fund (as of May 1, 2010) will continue to be covered until their 26th birthday (at no cost to the member). No action needs to be taken.
• Dependents turning 19 on or after June 1, 2010, need only to complete the Welfare Fund’s Young Adult Age 26 Coverage Application and submit it to the Fund.
• Dependent children who are between the ages of 19 and 26 and are not covered (as of May 1, 2010) by the Welfare Fund will be able to become eligible for the Age 26 coverage during the Fund’s open enrollment in September. Eligibility will begin on Oct. 1, 2010, at no cost to the member.
• Dependent children who are beyond age 26 but have not reached their 30th birthday may enroll for the Age 29 coverage with an effective date of July 1, 2010. The cost for this Welfare Fund coverage is $68.47 per month for dependent children of in-service members or $28.66 per month for the dependent children of retiree members. Members need to complete the Young Adult Age 29 Coverage Application.
• Welfare Fund members can download the appropriate forms and information on the Fund website, www.uftwf.org

New York City Health Plan coverage

• The Age 26 federal coverage will not become available for the New York City health plans until July 2011.
• Members can enroll their dependent children in the Age 29 coverage effective July 1, 2010.
• Members can download the appropriate forms and information on the city’s website at www.nyc.gov/olr.

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