A new report released today by the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) shows that 3.1 million young adults have gained health
insurance because of the health care law. Without the health care law -
the Affordable Care Act - these 3.1 million young adults would not have
health insurance. As a result of the law, the proportion of insured
adults ages 19 through 25 has increased to nearly 75 percent.
The Affordable Care Act requires insurers to allow young adults to
remain on their parents' family plans until their 26th
birthday, even if they move away from home or graduate from school. This
policy took effect on September 23, 2010.
"Today, because of the health care law, more than 3 million more young
adults have health insurance," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
"This policy doesn't just give young adults and their families peace of
mind, it also gives them freedom. It means that as they begin their
careers, they will be free to make choices based on what they want to
do, not on where they can get health insurance."
Before the Affordable Care Act, young adults were the age group least
likely to have health insurance. Not only were young adults more likely
to be uninsured, they were also more than twice as likely as older
adults to lose private insurance coverage once they had it. Some young
adults lost coverage when they became too old to qualify as a dependent
on their parents' plans, and others lost coverage as they graduated from
school or changed jobs.
A similar report released in December 2011 showed that 2.5 million young
adults who would otherwise have been uninsured had gained coverage
through June 2011. Using the most recent information on insurance
coverage from the National Health Interview Survey conducted by the
National Center for Health Statistics, today's report finds that from
September 2010 to December 2011 the percentage of adults ages 19 through
25 with insurance coverage increased from 64.4 percent to 74.8 percent.
That translates to 3.1 million young adults with coverage. This increase
continues the steady upward trend in insurance coverage among young
adults since the Affordable Care Act went into effect.
Starting in 2014, there will be even more health coverage options
available to young adults when Affordable Insurance Exchanges, premium
tax credits, and the Medicaid expansion go into effect.