The National Center for Health Statistics released a study today that shows an increase of 2.5 million people aged 19-25 who have health insurance thanks to the Affordable Care Act. When accounting for other factors, it appears that the entirety of the increase is due to a provision that allows parents to carry their children on their insurance until they turn 26 years-old. The percentage of people receiving Medicaid was stable, as was the percentage of people aged 26-35 who are insured. So, we have 2.5 million more young adults who have access to quality health care if they are injured in a car crash, or if they need mental health care, or if they are unlucky enough to come down with some disease. Overall, 73% of young adults are now covered, up from 64% before the reforms.
But, you know, Death Panels!!
Speaking about the votes on a Balanced Budget Amendment in today’s senate proceedings, Sen. Leahy hurt my feelings:
Ouch.
Except Leahy doesn’t have any standing. Why? The NDAA. He voted for it to get out of committee last week.
I guess the Joker must have got to him.
Jesus, that’s all? Still one out of four to go? I never fail to underestimate how many people are uninsured in this country. For now, at least.
Good for the PPACA.
The only reason would be that their parents are also not covered. My kids are now covered, but if I didn’t have coverage myself, my eldest would not have coverage right now. A LOT of people out there one broken leg away from total disaster.
My oldest only has coverage because I do, and wouldn’t without the ACA. And he’s the kid most likely to break a leg…
This is a clarifying point about the inadequacy of “reforming” a system that’s absolute shit from top to bottom. It’s great that so many more are covered, but only makes the wealth gap in America even more egregious and punitive for those who can’t be in the holy “middle class”. In a way, “reform” only serves to spotlight the attraction of slash-and-burn as the only path to real change.
In software terms, the US health care system is a legacy system. Absent a very strong political will, a new system is not a complete replacement but something that is grafted onto the existing system, because every existing system has a constituency that likes it the way it is. That leads to kludge after kludge, until you get what we’ve got now.
Keep in mind, this is the age group with the lowest coverage rate.
I always had that, since my parents were state employees with a decent union. It will be interesting to see what happens when they hit age 26. For me what happened was I have been uninsured.
Whoa. How young are your parents?
😉
Haha, they came of age in the 1970s.
I’m among them. Hello ::waves::
I’ve also been to the doctor several times, once for an MRI (although without insurance I would have skipped the MRI). Oh, and as for skin in the game? Despite the insurance — it’s the same insurance “Congress has” — I still had to pay about $400 for the MRI, $120 for the brace, and $20 for the meds.
And how can I forget the co-pays? $35 twice for the specialist, and $15 for the doctor.