<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
  <title>Open Congress : Comments on H.R.5550 To amend title 5, United States Code, to increase the maximum age to qualify for coverage as a "child" under the health benefits program for Federal employees.</title>
  <link href="http://www.opencongress.org/comments/atom/bill/49567" rel="self"/>
  <updated>2008-08-02T13:29:39Z</updated>
  <author>
    <name>opencongress.org</name>
  </author>
  <id>tag:opencongress.org,2007:/bill/comments/49567</id>
  <entry>
    <title>New comment by WFerguson</title>
    <link href="/comments/atom/bill/49567" rel="alternate"/>
    <updated>2008-08-02T13:29:39Z</updated>
    <id>tag:opencongress.org,2008-08-02:/comment/37247</id>
    <author>
      <name>WFerguson</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
I was under the impression that all health insurance companies had an age 22 cut-off.  I was surprised to find that was far from the truth.  In fact most insurers have a 25 age as long as the dependent is a full time student.  I had to go through numerous problems to get my 1st two children covered by their own policies while in college.  I currently have my 3rd child, who is on an Internship from his college in La. to Bethesda Md. for the entire summer, with no insurance.  It has been a real problem trying to get it for him.  I contacted my congressman several months ago after hearing on the news that congress was concerned about the number of young people with no insurance. I wrote to him that I felt the non-insured youth were probably college students whose parents work for the US Govt.  I was made aware then of HR 5550.       </content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>New comment by Anonymous</title>
    <link href="/comments/atom/bill/49567" rel="alternate"/>
    <updated>2008-03-12T14:21:16Z</updated>
    <id>tag:opencongress.org,2008-03-12:/comment/2852</id>
    <author>
      <name>Anonymous</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html">
Dear Rep. Davis,
My name is Christopher A. Walsh.  Sad to say but I am not even a resident of Illinois! I am a resident of Florida where I vote absentee.  I retired from the Panama Canal Commission in 1999 with 28 years of honorable service to the United States of America.  I live in Panama and work (after looking for nearly 7 years!) for FSU-Panama Campus. I am the Dormitory Coordinator. The bill you are sponsoring, HR-5550, is probably the smartest thing I have ever seen a person do!  I have two dependent daughters, Kelly, the oldest, turned 22 years of age on March 6, 2008, the day your bill, HR-5550, was introduced in Congress.  On that day my 22 year old daughter, a senior honors student at the University of Central Florida in Orlando was dropped, by law, from my FEHBA health coverage.  Fortunately my wife's credit union in Panama offered to cover Kelly's need for a health plan with BC/BS International coverage but only for a year.  IT IS NOT the same thing as BCBS Federal, but it is better than having NO coverage.
I know it's late for Kelly to be covered retroactively but   her sister Nicole is 20 and the same situation will occur in two years!  
Truth be said, 22 year olds may be "adults" by law, but that is about ALL they are!  I agree with your assesment that 25 year olds are trully 'adults' with education (BA's and MA's) behind them and getting into the real working world!  
I pray HR5550 goes through!

Sincerely,
Christopher A. Walsh
cwalsh1999@hotmail.com
         </content>
  </entry>
</feed>
