WSJ Examines Coverage Options For Young Adults

August 9, 2007 – 8:37 pm | posted in Health Insurance

The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday examined health insurance options available for young adults. According to the National Coalition on Health Care, in 2005, adults ages 18 to 24 were the least likely of any age group to have health insurance, and a study released in 2006 by the Commonwealth Fund found that almost two in five college graduates lack coverage at some time during the first year after they leave school. Some college graduates are unaware that they lose health insurance under the policies of their parents after they leave school, and others have concerns about the cost of coverage, according to experts.

However, Sam Gibbs, a senior vice president of eHealthInsurance, said that most young adults do not purchase health insurance because of a “sense of invincibility.” The lack of health insurance for many young adults “carries serious risks,” such as the inability to cover the cost of treatment for a “life-threatening medical emergency” and the “risk that if you have a lapse in coverage and develop a serious illness, it could be much more difficult — and costly — to get health coverage later,” according to the Journal.

Recent college graduates can purchase short-term health insurance policies, which can help “bridge gaps for students aging off their parents’ health plans,” and often can contact the alumni relations departments of their schools to find coverage, the Journal reports. Young adults who purchase health insurance should “do business with a reputable company that has a strong nationwide network” and determine whether they can “drop the plan without penalty” in the event that they become eligible for coverage through their employers, according to the Journal (Soltis, Wall Street Journal, 8/7).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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