Does insuring adult children to age 26 increase profit or decrease it?

Asked by JLeslie (65419) December 5th, 2016 from iPhone

This question is a financial question, it is not a health question.

ACA required that insurance companies allow children up to age 26 be able to stay on their parents’ health plan. It seems to me young adults are money makers for health insurance companies. Sure there are people in their early 20’s that have major health problems, but most don’t. I would be a lot of young men don’t go to the doctor for years in a row. I guess the possibility of a young woman getting pregnant adds some expense to the insurers bottom line.

So, my question is, if you know the numbers, do insurers actually come out ahead complying to that particular provision in ACA?

Do I have a motive for my question? Yes. The Republicans are talking about how they would keep that in the health plan they propose, I’m suspicious that it’s actually something the insurers are happy to keep in, because it makes them money.