When the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act became law, it changed the way health care was provided for millions of Americans. The health care reform law made several changes in the health insurance industry, but not all of them were intended.

One of the unintended changes in the insurance market involved child-only health care policies. In Georgia and other states, as the Affordable Care Act took hold, insurance companies stopped offering this type of healthcare plan.

Child-only Georgia health insurance plans are usually bought by parents who have an employer-provided health plan that does not include dependent coverage, or has dependent coverage they just can't afford. Sometimes these plans are bought by parents who can't get health coverage for themselves due to health reasons and still want to provide coverage for their children. And sometimes, these are bought by parents whose income does not qualify for their kids to get coverage under Medicaid or PeachCare.

Adding Children Under 26 Years to Your Health Insurance

Affective as of September 22, 2010, anyone who has to renew their health insurance policy can look forward to a new option when considering their children's health care plan. With the new health care reform has come the possibility for extension of coverage to adolescents ages 16 and under.

After this date, children are now entitled to remain on the same health insurance policy as their parents.

The new health care reform bill means that children parents can stay under the same health plan as their parent's until they are 26 years old- irrespective of their marital status, student status or home address. It also does not matter if the child (children) is named as a dependent on the mother's or father's tax return.