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            One of the breakthroughs of Obamacare is our ability to put our college- and post-college-age kids on our health insurance. No more hunting down an affordable individual policy for them that will see them through a medical emergency. Once you've got them covered under your coverage, they can stay insured until they're 26–even if they get married

 

So far, so good. But a friend pointed out a little flaw in that coverage. You may get the paperwork and a bill for a visit your 20-year-old paid to a doctor but you may have no idea what health issue your son or daughter was addressing. Your grown child may have been to see an orthopedist, family doctor, Ob/GYN or psychiatrist. You may be worried about what the visit was all about, but short of directly asking your progeny 'wassup?', you can't find out.

 

Under the health privacy rules of HIPAA, you would need their signed authorization for the doctor to hand over any information.

 

Maybe that's as it should be. But there's a crucial reason to have that authorization in hand. If your son or daughter has a medical emergency that lands them in an emergency room, you can't get information from the nurses or doctors on the case.They are not permitted to disclose details to parents about the medical condition of a child who's older than 18. Or as one attorney put it, “Once a child turns 18, the child is legally a stranger to you.” That is, you have no more right to that information than you would to details about the treatment or condition of a stranger–even though you're paying the tab.