Health care sign-ups lacking the young and healthy (Surprised?)

[No Elephants]

Health care sign-ups lacking the young and healthy
January 13, 2014 7:29PM ET
Figures released by the Obama administration show the difficulty of long-term cost-control efforts without youth buy-in

espite a steady uptick in the number of Americans signing up for health insurance under President Obama's health care law, new enrollees in state and federal insurance marketplaces have disproportionately been older and sicker, instead of the young and healthy whose participation will be necessary to lower long-term health-care premiums.

According to government figures released Monday that break down enrollees by age, gender and other details, young adults from 18 to 34 years old only make up 24 percent of total enrollment. With the HealthCare.gov website now working, the figures cover the more than 2 million Americans who had signed up for government-subsidized private insurance through the end of December in new federal and state markets.

Enrolling young and healthy people is important because they generally pay more into the system than they take out, subsidizing older adults. While 24 percent is not a bad start, say independent experts, it should be closer to 40 percent to help keep premiums down.

Adults ages 55-64 were the most heavily represented in the sign-ups, accounting for 33 percent of the total. Overall, the premiums paid by people in that demographic don't fully cover their medical expenses. Some are in the waiting room for Medicare; that coverage starts at age 65.

Some questions remained unanswered.

For example, the administration is unable to say how of many of those enrolling for coverage had been previously uninsured. Some might have been among the more than 4.7 million insured people whose previous policies were canceled because they didn't meet the law's standards.

"The uninsured folks for whom the law was intended don't seem to have signed up in nearly as high numbers," said Richard Foster, a former statistics chief for the Health and Human Services department. "There is still a huge unknown aspect to this."

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/1/13/healthcare-signupslackingtheyoungandhealthy.html

[Enthusiast]

1. I remember when I didn't give a health a second thought.

We have a tendency to think it can never happen to us.

[No Elephants]

2. I don't know if it is not giving health a second thought or not being able to afford insurance.

And maybe also a decision on the part of some to play the odds.

But, I would say that a majority of people who are not already being covered by an employer plan or Medicaid simply cannot afford insurance.