Questions and answers on the health law's provisions

Retired government lawyer Carol Lebow's son, Edward, 24, started law school this year, so when she heard that federal health-care legislation would allow him to be insured under her policy, she was thrilled.

"It makes a difference if your kid can stay on your plan," said Lebow, who lives in Yardley.

On Thursday, six months after the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, several provisions begin to take effect - among them, the ability of parents to cover their adult children up to age 26 under their policies.

But confusion abounds, and the coverage of adult children is neither automatic nor immediate.

Here are the answers to some common questions:

Question: Are all adult children able to be covered under their parents' policies?

Answer: Yes, if the employer's insurance plan covers young dependent children, it must also cover adult children. But if it doesn't, then the adult child will not be covered. Same goes for family plans purchased by individuals. Also, if the adult child's employer offers insurance from an employer, the child can not turn to his parents' plan for a better deal.

Q: Does coverage begin right away?

A: No. Most companies have an open-enrollment period - a time when the new policy year begins. That's when the adult child can either continue on the parents' plan or rejoin the plan if he or she had already aged out. In Lebow's case, her son cannot rejoin her plan until its open-enrollment date in January.

Q: What are the next steps?

A: Call your company's human resources department and find out when open enrollment is. You must inform the company within 30 days of the open-enrollment period that an adult child will be included in the policy.

Q: My child no longer lives with me and is no longer a student. Will this still work?

A: Yes. Your child can be married and live out of state.

Q: What about cost? Who pays?

A: The answer is in your employer's insurance plan. If the company makes employees pay more per child, then an adult child who rejoins the plan will increase the parent's bill. If the company charges a flat rate for all dependents, then the adult child gets folded into that rate.

Q: Young people can be insured under their parents' plans up to the age of 29 in Pennsylvania and 31 in New Jersey. How do those state laws work and will they change?

A: In Pennsylvania, employers can choose to offer continued coverage up to age 29. But the adult child has to live in Pennsylvania, have no dependents, and be unmarried. In New Jersey, companies must continue the coverage up to age 31, if the adult child is not married, has no dependents, and is a New Jersey resident. However, the law does not apply to New Jersey companies that cover their own medical costs and just use insurance firms to handle the paperwork.