Politics
Obama Health care helping more young adults access health insurance
Young adults trying to get traction in a tough economy are getting a welcome assist: the new federal health care law has markedly improved their access to health insurance.
The number of young Americans ages 19-25 lacking health insurance has shrunk by 2.5 million since President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul took effect, the administration announced in an analysis released Wednesday.
That drop is 2½ times as large as the decline indicated by previous government and private estimates from earlier this year, which showed about 1 million had gained coverage.
The improvement comes even as the uninsured rate stayed basically stuck for those a little older, ages 26-35.
Under the health care overhaul, adult children can stay on a parent’s plan until they turn 26, a provision that has proven popular in an otherwise divisive law.
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the numbers show the law is making a big difference for families with adult children.
“Many of them gained coverage earlier this spring, meaning the law was there for young people as they graduated from college or high school and began their careers,” she said.
Administration officials said there are a couple of reasons for the better-than-expected result.
