New York Times Examines ‘Young Invincibles’
The New York Times on Wednesday examined "'young invincibles' -- people in their 20s who shun [health] insurance either because their age makes them feel invulnerable or because expensive policies are out of reach." According to the Commonwealth Fund, young adults are the largest group of uninsured people in the U.S. In 2007, 13.2 million young adults -- or 29% of that age group -- lacked health coverage, the Commonwealth Fund found. The Times reports that without health coverage, young invincibles "borrow leftover prescription drugs from friends, attempt to self-diagnose ailments online, stretch their diabetes and asthma medicines for as long as possible, and set their own broken bones." If a medical emergency occurs, uninsured young adults "rarely can afford the bills that follow," according to the Times.
More than two dozen states in the past decade have approved laws that allow young adults to remain on their parents' health plans longer. In New York state, Gov. David Paterson (D) has proposed allowing New York residents ages 19 to 29 to be claimed as dependents on their parents' plans. Paterson's proposal would cover an estimated 80,000 of the 775,000 uninsured young adults in New York state.
Susan Sherry, deputy director of Community Catalyst -- which released a report this month urging states to relax eligibility requirements to allow young adults to retain their parents' coverage -- said there is "a big sense of urgency" in providing coverage for young adults. She added, "They've been covered under their parents or school plans, and then they drop off the cliff" (Buckley, New York Times, 2/18).
