The Young Invincibles

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Invincible is the final studio album released by Michael Jackson in 2001. Invincible is also a feel-good underdog football movie released in 2006, starring Mark Wahlberg. But more to my point, Invincible is a young Image Comics superhero. Why is this relevant? Because there is a real life group of Young Invincibles--the 13 million young adults (ages 19 to 29) in America who do not have health insurance.
 
Let’s face it, we may believe we’re superhuman, but we’re not quite as healthy as we think we are. According to the CDC, one-third of us are smokers, 25 percent are obese, and nearly two-thirds of us do not engage in physical activity during our leisure time. And then there’s alcohol. Twenty percent of young adults report having five or more drinks in a single day on at least 12 days in the past year. (While there is a correlation between late-night clubbing, dancing and consumption of alcohol, I’ll have to check with the CDC to see if dancing at a club is considered “regular leisure time physical activity.” Perhaps that might improve the statistics somewhat.)
 
One might assume all Young Invincibles are recent high school graduates that go straight into minimum-wage jobs with no benefits, but that’s not exactly true. According to the Commonwealth Fund, of the 19- to 29-year-olds with a bachelor’s degree, fourteen percent are not covered by health insurance. The critical period is the one year immediately following graduation during which one-third of college graduates were uninsured at some point.
 
There are a few reasons for this:
 
-Once students graduate, the majority are immediately terminated from their parents' health insurance plans. 
 
-The current economic climate makes it more difficult to find a job, meaning there are more unemployed young professionals who choose not to purchase individual health insurance coverage.
 
-Of the new grads that do get jobs, they are more likely to work at small companies (< 200 employees) that do not offer health insurance.         
 
So, what’s in the works for the Young Invincibles in the current health reform discussion? There is good news and bad news in the Senate Finance Committee’s proposed bill (pdf).
 
The bad news is that in 2017, if you do not purchase health insurance, you will be subject to a $750 penalty. So you’re fresh out of college, jobless, broke and facing a penalty if you do not buy health care coverage. Hmm…  
 
The good news is there is a young invincible plan in the proposed bill that would provide basic coverage for prevention or in the event of something catastrophic. Truthfully, that’s all you really need right now. Just like the entry-level Honda you’re probably driving at this stage in your life, you should save the Cadillac health insurance plan for when you need it and can afford it.
 
While it is fair for you to pay for the health insurance you need, it’s not fair to lump you with other demographic groups who are large utilizers of health care just so you can help spread the cost. Nor is it right for you to be required to purchase more health insurance than you can afford or really need.  
 
Now that you know some facts, speak up for what you want!
 
(Image by Macarena C.) 
 
Read more stories at YPNation, America's young professionals network.