1. Running head: THE INCREASE IN HEALTHCARE COVERAGE FOR YOUNG ADULTS 1
THE INCREASE IN HEALTHCARE COVERAGE FOR YOUNG ADULTS
MELISSA TOBIAS
ALVERNIA UNIVERSITY

2. THE INCREASE IN HEALTHCARE COVERAGE FOR YOUNG ADULTS 2
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed and put into law by president Obama on
March 23, 2010. Although it is most frequently referred to as the Affordable Care Act, or
“Obamacare”, the proper name is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The
Affordable Care Act is the biggest change that has been expedited to the United States healthcare
system since the initiation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. The main goal of the Affordable
Care Act is to make healthcare insurance plans more affordable for Americans, as well as
offering insurance plans to the uninsured population. The law requires that insurance companies
offer the same rate of coverage to all applicants regardless of pre-existing conditions or sex. The
Affordable Care Act aims to focus the goal of healthcare insurance for quality of care, not
quantity.
As of May 2014, approximately 20 million Americans have gained some form of health
insurance coverage due to the implication of the Affordable Care Act. The ACA is making way
towards reaching one of its goals of providing coverage to the uninsured population. The
percentage of uninsured Americans has dropped from 18% in 2013 to 13.4% in May 2014
(Blumenthal, 2014). Pennsylvania has seen significant outcomes since the implication of
Obamacare. In Pennsylvania, 318,077 selected a Marketplace plan under the ACA. Of these
318,077 people, 33% are under the age of 35; 30% are between the ages of 18 and 34; and 81%
selected a plan with financial assistance (“How the Health Care Law,” 2014)
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has impacted the healthcare industry dramatically. Many
young adults that graduated from high school and were unsure about college and their future
would have anticipated beginning the search health care coverage for themselves. Before the
health care law, insurance companies could remove enrolled children usually at age 19,

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sometimes older for full-time students (“Young Adult Coverage,” 2014). However, due to the
changes of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), young adults are now able to stay on their parent’s
healthcare insurance until the age of 26. This law lifts a huge burden off of many young adults as
they try to maneuver through the first few years of adulthood.
The important aspect of this law is that it encompasses a larger number of young adults,
which allows for the individuals to be covered under a healthcare plan for a longer period of time
without having a financial burden. This new healthcare law benefits many young adults
including:
 Married
 Not living with their parent
 Attending school
 Not financially dependent on their parents
 Eligible to enroll in their employer’s plan
Therefore, more young adults are able to be covered for a longer period of time which helps
them focus on more important things than their healthcare coverage.
When individuals graduate from high school, the last thought that should be crossing
through their head is if they are going to have healthcare coverage. Whether they plan to go to
college or work for a living, it is important that the healthcare coverage be extended as to give
them more time to establish themselves. Before this healthcare law, these young adults that were
not going to become full-time students had to worry about their own healthcare coverage.
However, with this new law, they are given an additional seven years to give them time to figure
out what they want to do and how they are going to do it.

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“New results from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) indicate that 3.1 million
additional young adults have insurance coverage as of December 2011, due to the provision in
the Affordable Care Act that allows 19 through 25 years olds to remain on their parent’s
insurance plans” (“State-Level Estimates,” 2014). This is very important that a greater number of
young adults are taking advantage of the updated law because young adults are at risk for
multiple reasons. “About 30% of young adults are uninsured and one in six young adults has a
chronic illness like cancer, diabetes, or asthma” (“Young Adults and The Affordable Care Act,”
2014). Due to the many health conditions these young adults face it is important that they are
given adequate time to adjust into adulthood while still maintaining healthcare coverage.
Although this is a great opportunity for more young adults to establish themselves there
are also a few barriers that could arise. One of the biggest concerns is young adults becoming
lazy after graduating from high school or college because there isn’t an immediate pressure to
find a job or begin a career. Healthcare is a huge concern, so with the burden of healthcare taken
care of, there is a chance that more young adults could stop pushing themselves as hard and
simply take it easy. It is often said that the generation being raised is used to having things
handed to them and they think that very little work is required since the electronic era has
dramatically increased. With that said, these young adults are again having everything handed
directly to them which could create long term problems as the adult continues to age.
Another problem that could occur is that fewer employers could offer healthcare
insurance. The job market is always looking for young adults to join the workforce. Since
employers are aware of the implementation of the new law, they could offer less coverage to
those individuals that are younger because the employers know that their parents could still cover

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these possible employees on their own insurance. This also creates a loophole for the employer,
so that they could say that if their employee is already covered under someone else’s policy (i.e.
their parent’s insurance), that the employer does not have to offer coverage to these young
adults.
Lastly, allowing for young adults to be on their parent’s healthcare coverage for this long
extended period of time could make it harder for them to be able to switch to their own health
insurance when they turn 26. By the age of 26, there could be health problems that have been
diagnosed which could give the young adult more trouble trying to find a healthcare coverage
that will cover all “pre-existing conditions.” This delay in obtaining individual healthcare could
ultimately give them more trouble rather than help them. There are many health problems that
arise in someone’s early twenties that could negatively impact their health and make them less
likely to be covered by an insurance company.
After considering all of the beneficial and negative impacts that this healthcare law
includes, it is possible that a change could be made that would over all benefit young adults long
term. A proposal to modify the law to include young adults on their parent’s healthcare insurance
until the age of 23 could help avoid some of the negative impacts. Adjusting the age to 23 would
allow all children an average amount of time to adjust to young adulthood. Whether in college
full-time or working, it would give each young adult about five years after high school
graduation to figure out what is best for them as far as their healthcare needs.
Also, decreasing the age to 23 allows less time for the young adult to be “lazy” but
instead gives them enough motivation to establish themselves in a reasonable amount of time.
When they begin looking for jobs, the employer will be less likely to deny any health insurance

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benefits because the young adult would be less likely to be covered under one’s parent’s health
insurance. As well as less likely for the young adult to establish any pre-existing conditions that
could impact them in a negative way when it is time to begin looking for healthcare coverage for
them. This slight change in the policy could make a huge difference for the young adult.
Overall, it is very important that the highest number of Americans is covered under
healthcare insurance in order to allow for an overall healthy country. However, it is also
important that the country hold each individual accountable for their own actions and allow them
to grow independently. Increasing the healthcare coverage age to 26 allows young adults much
more time to establish themselves in an overall tough workplace industry. It gives them one less
worry in this forever changing and unpredictable world. So it is important that these healthcare
laws are being adjusted and monitored closely to ensure that everyone is getting the best possible
chance at a life we all deserve.

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Reference
Blumenthal D, Collins SR (2014). "Health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act--a
progress report." N Engl J Med 371 (3): 275–81. https://doi:10.1056/NEJMhpr1405667
How the Health Care Law is Making a Difference for the People of Pennsylvania. (2014).
Retrieved from http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/facts/bystate/pa.html
State-level estimates of gains in insurance coverage amount young adults. (2012). Retrieved
from http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/facts/factsheets/2012/06/young-
adults06192012a.html
Young adults and the affordable care act: Protecting young adults and eliminating burdens on
families and businesses. (2014). Retrieved from
http://www.cms.gov/CCIIO/Resources/Files/adult_child_fact_sheet.html
Young adult coverage. (2014). Retrieved from
http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/rights/youngadults/