A report from the Commonwealth Fund found that up to 82% of young uninsured adults will be eligible for federal subsidies to purchase health coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s insurance exchanges or for Medicaid. However, less than one-third of young adults know about the new exchanges that are set to begin on October 1.
The survey also found that 67% of respondents indicated that they would enroll for coverage through their employer. Among those who said they would not enroll in the employer-sponsored coverage:
- 54% said they had coverage through a family member;
- 22% said they could not afford the premiums; and
- 5% said they did not think they would not need medical care, or the coverage.
White House officials have said that 2.7 million residents between ages 18 and 35 need to enroll in the exchanges to offset the cost of enrolling older, sicker individuals. Some health policy experts have stated that this will be “a tough sell” to young individuals because they could be reluctant to purchase coverage they might rarely use.
