Tuesday, May 30, 2006
New York - There are 13.6 million young adults who require health insurance in the United States, an increase of 2.6 million from 2000, a new Commonwealth Fund report reveals. According to Rite of Passage? Why youthful Adults Become Uninsured and How New Policies Could Help, young adults between the ages of 19 and 28 represent the largest and fastest growing segment of the inhabitants without health insurance, and are uninsured at twice the rate of adults ages 30 to 64.
Although young adults comprise 176 percent of the under-65 population, they account for 32 percent of the uninsured non-elderly population. The instability of care puts them at risk for poor health: More than half (57%) of young adults who lack health insurance reported they had gone with no needed health care because of cost-counting failing to fill a prescription, not seeing a doctor or expert when needed, or skipping a optional medical test or treatment. Uninsured young adults also face monetary burdens, with 45% reporting that they were paying off medical arrears or had trouble paying medical bills.
"There are both health and financial consequences when young adults who are just starting out in the workforce or entering college lose their health insurance," said Commonwealth Fund Senior Program Officer Sara Collins, lead author of the study. "Policy changes such as increasing the age of eligibility for public programs and continued parental coverage would stabilize insurance among young adults and ease their transition to adulthood."
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