Health Care Reform One Step Toward Economic Security
Written By: Katie Dean
The ongoing congressional debate over health care reform will eventually determine whether millions of young Americans continue to be financially crippled by a broken system. While young people are not the widely-publicized victims of health care, our generation has been burdened disproportionately by the elusiveness of quality health care in this country.
Despite the youth health care crisis, young people are largely overlooked in the development of various health care proposals. One of the likely reasons for the lack of consideration of the 19-29 demographic is the absence of youth advocates in the health care narrative. While Americans aged 50 and over can rely on the AARP to champion their interests, there exists no such group for the representation and defense of the health care needs of young Americans.
The irony of young people’s exclusion from the health care debate is that young adults between the ages of 19 and 29 are the most uninsured age group in the country and represent nearly one-third of all uninsured people. Furthermore, the rising unemployment rate of this demographic, currently standing at 17.3%, puts young people at an even greater risk for a lack of health care benefits.
The economic recession has resulted in insufficient employment opportunities for young Americans, which, in turn, has greatly decreased the availability of employer-provided health insurance: Only 50% of Millennials receive health care through an employer, compared to 75% of people over 30. Of the young Americans who have been affected by job loss, 46% have seen their health coverage disappear, but it is not only unemployed young adults who have seen a loss of benefits; 20% of young adults have been forced to take part-time jobs which typically do not offer employees health coverage.
In addition to facing the highest unemployment rates in the country, young people are also dealing with mounting debt from student loans, credit cards, and now, health care. Over half of young adults have lost health care coverage at some point in the past five years, and during these lapses 35% of young adults have accrued substantial medical debt. It is clear that our physical health and economic health are inextricably linked, so to tackle this crisis head-on, a group of over 20 leading youth organizations has come together to create the 80 Million Strong for Young American Jobs coalition.
The 80 Million Strong coalition is working to improve the precarious state of young Americans’ health care by proposing federal legislation that would create jobs for young people across all sectors, expand training programs for young people who want to work in the health care industry, and encourage young entrepreneurship. Our coalition emphasizes the importance of dealing with the joint problems of youth unemployment and failing health insurance collectively, for neither of these issues may be resolved if the other is allowed to continue.
The economic future of the Millennial Generation is dependent upon health care reform that opens the door to affordable coverage for all Americans through a public health insurance option. With the foundation of quality health coverage, young people will be free to enter the workforce with one fewer obstacle to long-term financial security.
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