More than 3.1 million Americans ages 19 through 25 are nowcovered by their parents’ medical insurance policies due to thehealth reform law, the Department of Health and Human Servicesreports. That’s up from 2.5 million in December, records show.

The number of insured for that age group has increased to 75percent. “This policy doesn’t just give young adults and theirfamilies peace of mind, it also gives them freedom,” said HHSSecretary Kathleen Sebelius. “It means that as they begin theircareers, they will be free to make choices based on what they wantto do, not on where they can get health insurance.”

The law mandates that insurers allow young adults to remain ontheir parents’ plans until they turn 26, even if they move awayfrom home or graduate from school. Though the PPACA in its entiretyisn’t favorable—with an approval rate of 37 percent, according tothe Kaiser Family Foundation—the young adult coverage provision hasbeen one of the most popular provisions with 71 percent of thepublic viewing it favorably.

Even insurance giants UnitedHealth, Humana and Aetna hadintended to keep the provision even if the Supreme Court killed thelaw. Before the PPACA, young adults were the age group least likelyto have health insurance. Not only were young adults more likely tobe uninsured, they were also more than twice as likely as olderadults to lose private insurance coverage once they had it. Someyoung adults lost coverage when they became too old to qualify as adependent on their parents’ plans, and others lost coverage as theygraduated from school or changed jobs.