The Affordable Care Act, Dependent Health Insurance Coverage, and Young Adults' Health

This study examines the consequences of thePatientProtection andAffordableCareAct (ACA) dependent coverage provision for the health ofU.S. young adults aged\–25. Using data from theCurrentPopulationSurvey—MarchSupplement for the years 2007–2012 and ordered logistic regression analyses, we examine self‐rated health and its association with dependent health insurance coverage for 19‐ to 25‐year‐olds and a comparison group of 28‐ to 34‐year‐olds before and after implementation of theACA. Compared to 28‐ to 34‐year‐olds, results indicate the post‐ACAperiod (2010–2011) is associated with increased access to dependent health insurance coverage and improved health for young adults aged 19–25 relative to the period before implementation (2008–2009). More than half of the difference in health improvement across age groups can be attributed to changes in dependent coverage. These results are the first to demonstrate a positive health benefit resulting from the implementation of theACA.