CDC: 2.5M more young people covered under Dems’ healthcare law

About 2.5 million young adults have taken advantage of the healthcare reform law’s requirement that family plans allow coverage of dependents until they’re 26, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday.

The new data show that the percentage of insured 19-to-25-year-olds increased from 64 percent to 73 percent between September 2010 and June 2011. During the same time period, the percentage of adults 26 to 35 with coverage was stable at 72 percent, indicating that the healthcare law’s provision was responsible for the increase of coverage among younger people.

{mosads}Most of the coverage provisions don’t kick in until 2014, making the young adult provision one of the few bright spots Democrats can point to regarding increased access to health insurance coverage since the law was enacted almost 21 months ago. The number of uninsured climbed to a record 49.9 million in 2010, according to the Census Bureau.

“Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, 2.5 million more young adults don’t have to live with the fear and uncertainty of going without health insurance,” Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a news release. “Moms and dads around the country can breathe a little easier knowing their children are covered.”