Excerpt: Many area employers will be hit with higher health care costs next year due to a new state law that requires them to extend health benefits to covered employees' children until they reach age 26. Effective Jan. 1, children under their parents' group health insurance will remain eligible until that age even if they are not enrolled in college as long as they don't marry, leave the state or obtain their own health coverage. The state legislature originally passed the law in 2007 and revised it earlier this year.

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