Health Care Reform 'A Graduation Gift To Young Adults': Report

Besides sending them scrambling for jobs, the lackluster employment market also puts many young adults without health insurance: about a third, or 13.7 million, of America's uninsured are under 30.

But that's all about to change. According to the New York Times, a new report from the Commonwealth Fund reveals that most of the young and uninsured could become covered by 2014.

The Times has more on the impending benefits:

Relief will come sooner for 1.2 million young people whose parents have health coverage but who fell off family policies when they graduated from high school or college.

Beginning in late September, health insurers will be required to cover children on family health plans through age 25, and many companies are making the change now so new college graduates do not face gaps in coverage.

In addition to extended parental coverage, about 7 million young adults will be qualify for insurance through Medicaid in 2014, and 5.6 million will be eligible for government subsidies for private care.

Experts hope that the new plan will change the stigma that health care's costs outweigh its benefits. As Health Policy Center senior fellow Linda Blumberg told the Times: "... I do believe the country is going to begin to shift culturally in a way that people are going to understand that the expectation -- the norm -- is that people are supposed to have health coverage."

What's your take on health care reform for young people? Are you covered? Let us know in the comments section.

Comments

[annie345]

01:13 PM on 05/26/2010

No matter what the tr011s say with all the talking points, the FACT IS that more Americans are becoming insured due to the passage of the Healthcare bill. This is what is was intended to do and this is what it is doing. Bush never even came close, and to all the naysayers, this is the kind of change this country needs.

[Nofuzzydreams]

12:26 PM on 05/26/2010

Regardless it should be his choice as long as he is forced to sell his house and all his belongings in case he needs money for healthcare­.

[annie345]

01:14 PM on 05/26/2010

Did this happen to you or was it some hypothetic­al, maybe , could be, situation dreamt up by BECK?

[Nofuzzydreams]

12:23 PM on 05/26/2010

As always there is no free lunch - companies are working to make their policies ala carte. Instead of having three rates, individual­, individual­+spouse and family (whatever the number of children), they will have rates by number. Families with 2 children will pay less than those with 4. This is as it should be. I just hope a mandate does not come down in the future to eliminate this sensible approach and burden the taxpayers more (the 53% that pay taxes that is not the 47% freeloader­s).

[SouthernJewel]

11:51 AM on 05/26/2010

I see the tro// alerts have been received with their talking points.
*rolling eyes*

[katybird241]

11:31 AM on 05/26/2010

I grew up on Ontario and was on my parents' insurance until I finished undergrad. In Ontario prescripti­on drugs are not covered by the provincial health insurance scheme. Now I'm back in university and wish I was on my parents' plan again. I have to take a fairly expensive drug to remain mobile and functional and my grad student's union has a co-pay that's high enough that I have trouble paying for it.

Don't need any health insurance? Nice for some. If I graduated in the states under the pre-Obama health care system I wouldn't even have been allowed to buy health insurance at an affordable rate because of my pre-existi­ng condition. I'd either bankrupt myself on treatment or on high-premi­um insurance. I'm still not sure the new system will make it any better for people like me. Most likely we'll continue to get boned by the system no matter what.

[proggirl]

11:19 AM on 05/26/2010

I'm so sick of slogan-spo­uting conservati­ves behaving like curmudgeon­ly scolds. We put in place a solution to a problem that you created and you refused to solve. While the solution is not ideal, it's better than the nothing that you did about the growing problem.
Will the solution (now the law, and aren't you guys all about law and order?) cause new problems? Undoubtedl­y, all change does. Will it make people's lives better in many ways? Yes, without a question. Do we need to keep working on it? Of course.
But the tired mantras of "increased taxes" and "mommy society" do nothing to solve the problem.

[annie345]

01:15 PM on 05/26/2010

Fanned and well stated.

[jasdmd0]

10:16 AM on 05/26/2010

and the "umbilical cord" remains uncut from dear old mom and dad for another few years - the way this gov't manadated nanny state we're becoming is going, my kids (currently 6 and 4) are going to living under my roof and making regular "withdrawl­s" from the 1st national bank of Mom and Dad until they're well into their 30's!

[margoharris]

02:22 PM on 05/26/2010

That makes no sense. I feel sorry for your kids, my kids are grown and we always will help them if they need it and we are able. So far they don't need our help but they know we are there if they do. It's called family.

[T4]

10:39 PM on 05/25/2010

How many lies can you stuff into an article. Mu daughter falls in this category and she will be forced to buy insurance by the govt or face higher taxes - how is this a benefit again - you people are the worst kind of liars. She already her taxes, just finisjhed college and knows the size of her paycheck that will go for somehing she neither needs or wants. The govt will raise her taxes, shehas been informed that rates will go up because of the Obamacare plan.

[MarauderF]

10:50 PM on 05/25/2010

Forced to be responsibl­e. Like being forced to have car insurance?

[blue bird]

12:11 AM on 05/26/2010

Haven't you noticed that our insurance rates go up every year and they always have some excuse. The health insurance bill passing is this year's excuse.
And why would you NOT want your daughter to have health insurance? If she's not insured then everyone will have to help pay for her medical expenses if she ends up in the ER.

[hypnotoad72]

10:29 PM on 05/25/2010

On the surface, it sounds great.

With luck, by 2014, the regime in power won't dismantle (or, worse, line-item veto certain parts of) it.

[T4]

10:41 PM on 05/25/2010

Pn the surface it sounds like garbage - how can you call increased taxes and the forced purchase of a product you don;t need with an inflated price tag a gift. You must be an Obamacrat - do they cover mental health under your plan?

[MarauderF]

10:53 PM on 05/25/2010

You must live in a wonderful world when you can predict when you'll need health insurance.

[annie345]

01:18 PM on 05/26/2010

You don't need health insurance? What's your secret because you seen so certain that you will never get sick or go to the hospital.O­r maybe when you get sick you expect everyone else to pay?Well that's not very Patriotic now is it?

[JPMac]

09:19 PM on 05/25/2010

When the hell has a GIFT cost you so much and you got so little!!!

[margoharris]

02:28 PM on 05/26/2010

huh??

[blue bird]

07:03 PM on 05/25/2010

Yes, the health insurance companies are going to cover young adults without a gap in coverage, but nowhere does it say they will provide an AFFORDABLE premium. What good does it do to cover someone if the policy is going to cost hundreds of dollars a month?

[IllinoisObama]

07:20 PM on 05/25/2010

Let me explain this to you.
Parents already have their kids on their health insurance and can continue to get them covered by the same policy at the same cost their were already paying for having dependents on their health insurance and be able to use it as a tax deduction.
See it is very easy to understand­.

[carbolaw]

07:35 PM on 05/25/2010

Not necessaril­y. The expanded coverage will eventually allow children under the age of 26 (and eventually up to the age of 30)to be on a parents plan - many of whom are not currently on the plan. Health care providers have offered to allow children who would be falling off of plans to stay on to prevent a gap in coverage, but this does nothing to help those not currently covered. Further this does not apply to large group plans with open enrollment before the end of September. I know first hand through the plan through my employer that this expanded coverage will not occur until it is mandated during open enrollment 12 months from now. At that point the cost of family coverage will also increase according to the plan provider.

[Jim Wilson 90009]

06:50 PM on 05/25/2010

Hmm, I wonder what they would prefer having most, health insurance or a job??

[hypnotoad72]

10:31 PM on 05/25/2010

A job, one that pays a living wage, can help pay for insurance.­..

And since it's well known that high levels of stress accelerate­s physiologi­cal problems, cleaning up this joke of a slave-wage "new normal" economy will help Americans immensely as well. Getting people to take pills with nasty side-effec­ts is inhumane in a system that is inhumane to begin with.

[returntoreason]

06:00 PM on 05/25/2010

Not everyone has parents who can afford to put their children on their plan (and fewer still could afford such when this new law takes affect).

What will the new grads say when they have to spend thousands a year in mandated health coverage? I know when I was a fresh grad, I could not afford a $50 payment, let alone $300.

[IllinoisObama]

07:22 PM on 05/25/2010

they are not adding them to their plan
This is for parents who already have their children on their health insurance plan.
AGAIN,,, Parents already have their children on a plan and this allows them to continue to have coverage.
and the new grad won't have to spend thousands a year on mandated health care.
Where do you get such bad informatio­n
I am curious how you could be so confused?

[MitchW]

07:53 PM on 05/25/2010

She's not 'confused' at all. If your college age kids are NOT currently on your plan, (most policys drop them at this age) you have to pay increased premiums to add them back on the plan under this health care reform. Further - the single college student not on the parents plan MUST purchase health insurance at a cost of thousands.

[returntoreason]

05:54 PM on 05/25/2010

A "graduatio­n gift" for the grads, to be paid with the lifetime earnings of the grads.

This is like buying a nice TV on your credit card at 30% interest rate and making the minimum payments FOR LIFE.

[IllinoisObama]

07:24 PM on 05/25/2010

do you understand that the "private" insurance companies are covering children on their parents plan.
Tell me how is this going to be paid by the lifetime earning of the grads?
You are implying that private insurance companies will "come after" theses kids someday and steal their money.

[MitchW]

07:58 PM on 05/25/2010

The poster implies nothing of the kind - the poster is pointing out that the overall cost of the bill will be borne by this and all other college grads in the future. This bill alone will cost over a trillion dollars over 10 years - its not "free".

[Samcat604]

05:54 PM on 05/25/2010

Why is the assumption made that they all WANT it?

If I was told directly out of school that I had to pony up around $2000 a year for something I may not want, I would be ticked! It is already hard enough to get a job, establish a life, without unnecessar­y costs.

[IllinoisObama]

07:25 PM on 05/25/2010

Hey dummy
This is for Parents who WANT to continue coverage
and they will not have to "pony" up 2 thousand a year.
Boy - you should have gone to college.

[MitchW]

08:00 PM on 05/25/2010

Sounds like this poster understand­s the bill - the law requires you to have health insurance, if your not covered by the parents plan you have to pay for it.