Health Care Reform and Young Adults' Access to Sexual Health Care: An Exploration of Potential Confidentiality Implications of the Affordable Care Act

One provision of the 2010 Affordable Care Act is extension of dependent coverage for young adults aged up to 26 years on their parent’s private insurance plan. This change, meant to increase insurance coverage for young adults, might yield unintended consequences.Confidentiality concerns may be triggered by coverage through parental insurance, particularly regarding sexual health. The existing literature and our original research suggest that actual or perceived limits to confidentiality could influence the decisions of young adults about whether, and where, to seek care for sexual health issues.Further research is needed on the scope and outcomes of these concerns. Possible remedial actions include enhanced policies to protect confidentiality in billing and mechanisms to communicate confidentiality protections to young adults.ON MARCH 23, 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law, effecting the most significant change to the US health care system since the creation of the Medicare and Medicaid programs in 1965.1 All components of the health sector are affected: the legislation includes expansions of public coverage, new subsidies for private coverage, health insurance exchanges, insurance coverage requirements and mandates, and strategies to increase the efficiency of health care delivery and rein in health care costs. Such sweeping reforms bring a host of intended changes and potential unforeseen ramifications. One provision of the ACA expands access to dependent coverage for young adults on their parent’s health insurance up to age 26 years, regardless of marital, employment, or educational status, effective September 2010. Previously, the maximum age varied by state, with eligibility for dependent coverage often linked to factors such as educational enrollment status. The government Web site describes the intended benefits of this provision: “By allowing children to stay on their parent''s plan, the Affordable Care Act makes it easier and more affordable for young adults to get health insurance coverage.”2Young adults aged 19 to 26 years have the highest uninsured rate of any age group in the country; 30% were without coverage in 2009.3 The high rate reflects many contributing factors. Young adults are more likely than other working-aged adults to be unemployed; if working, they are more likely to be newly employed, employed in entry-level jobs, and working in part-time positions without access to employer coverage. Furthermore, most young adults do not meet the traditional categorical eligibility requirements for the Medicaid program—the parent of a child younger than 19 years or an aged or disabled individual—and so young adults, even those with very low incomes, seldom qualify for public coverage. The subsequent low levels of insurance result in limited access to care and high levels of unmet need for care.4By expanding access to health insurance coverage, the ACA addresses two Healthy People 2020 goals5: attaining a higher proportion of individuals with insurance and reducing the proportion of individuals who are unable to obtain or who delay obtaining necessary medical care. This provision of the ACA has already shown significant success in expanding health insurance coverage for young adults. The percentage of young people with health insurance increased by 3.8 points from the first quarter of 2010 to the first quarter of 2011, far outstripping gains in other age groups.6 However, the reliance on expanding dependent coverage to address the high levels of uninsured young adults contains the potential for unintended consequences, because concerns about confidentiality could disrupt access to care.