Uninsured 20 Somethings - A Lack of Health Care

It's in the news and I don't think we can get around it so I am going to say it - Affordable Care Act.

Whew - that wasn't so bad!  I think health care insurance and medical coverage are something that each one of us faces on some level every day.  But what I don't think we all realize is how differently it impacts life based on a person's age.

So my daughter just turned 20.  She was in college and then a trade school. Now that she is done with school and working anywhere from one to three jobs to have financial freedom, her time and freedom fluctuates based on the number of jobs she has.

It is great she works, but none of the jobs offer health care.  She is in a growing, trending industry, but it all depends on the region, length of time worked, and the size of the company - so far she has not had an affordable health care plan if any at all.

Many college age adults have no health insurance coverage.

Thankfully - due to all this healthcare reform - good, bad, or indifferent - she was able to get insurance coverage through my husband's healthcare plan.  Both my husband and I work - yet we have insurance premiums that we pay for through his company.  And even though my daughter and other young adult are working full-time, many still cannot afford the health care premiums associated with proper medical health insurance.

Recently "The Commonwealth Fund" conducted a survey.  Their report "Young, Uninsured, and in Debt: Why Young Adults Lack Health Insurance and How the Affordable Care Act is Helping"  indicated that young adults from ages 19 - 29 often do not have access to or choose not to take part in the healthcare plan even if offered by their companies.

Many struggle with everyday bills and need affordable health care

Like my daughter prior to the Affordable Care Act, young adults who typically lose insurance coverage when they graduate high school or college are still choosing between bills (rent, utilities, food, and school loans) and proper medical care and needed prescriptions.

I am not taking a position on the whole healthcare reform, but I do know based on this study - our young adults are at risk.  The study indicated that young adults - ages 19- 29 who have gaps in health insurance, are at a higher risk for injury related visits to the emergency room, are more likely to have babies at this age, 15%  have chronic health conditions requiring a doctor's care and prescription medications, and in the last 30 years this age group's obesity rate has "increased threefold".

So over the next week or so, we are going to take a closer look at what I found young adults are doing to cope with being uninsured.  Similarly to our Medicare Donut Hole blogs, we will be doing a short series.  Next week we will tell you what measures we discovered some are taking to get health insurance as well as sharing a few of the options out there in finding affordable health care.

If you or someone you know is 20-something and does not have health insurance, let us know what you or they are doing about going to the doctor's or getting prescription medicine when needed.

Donna Cornelius
Online Marketing Manager