Young avoid coverage in Colorado, posing problem for health care law

Colorado Obamacare Director Says “More Socialization” Will Force Young People To Enroll…

Matt Leising spends about $3,600 a year on medication to treat asthma and sinus problems, so he was supportive when Washington politicians were debating the Affordable Care Act.

After the law passed and then began rolling out last fall, Leising went to Colorado's health care exchange website to look for coverage, but the 29-year-old Littleton resident quickly realized he couldn't afford any of the plans. He said he checked single plans and family plans because he is engaged.

The family plan with the lowest monthly premium had a deductible of $10,000, meaning he would still have to pay for his medication and other expenses, he said. He decided to just pay for his medication out of pocket and take the tax penalty.

"How could a young person nowadays afford it?" asked Leising, the manager of a small business that doesn't provide health insurance. "I don't see how anyone in my age group can afford insurance unless they have a really good job."

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 40 percent of people ages 18 to 34 need to sign up for health insurance to defray the costs of coverage for older, sicker people, but so far those figures in Colorado and nationally are half that number.

Obamacare proponents say they have several years to meet that goal. Both sides agree that if young people do not start signing up in greater numbers, premiums will increase for every insured person. However, it's unclear how large the increases would be.

About 30 percent of Colorado exchange users are 55 to 64 years old — the oldest group of people before Medicare kicks in. Census figures show that age group is about 12 percent of the Colorado population, so older people are signing up at nearly three times the size of their population.

Only 7 percent of Coloradans signing up are between 18 and 24 — below their population percentage — and 16 percent are 25 to 34, about equal to their population.

Exchange officials point out that a February U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study showed that the proportion of people age 18 to 34 signing up through exchanges increased 3 percent in the past five months.

Via: The Denver Post

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