Losing your health insurance coverage is much more serious than the public has been led to believe, yet it’s fairly common for high school and college students to lose their coverage for years.
Forty-five percent of high school students lost their coverage, or had to change their health insurance when they graduated from high school. Likewise, two-thirds of insured college students had to change their health insurance, or lost their coverage when they graduated from college.
Half of the high school graduates who lost or switched coverage at graduation went without coverage for two or more years. Similarly, more than a fourth of the college graduates who lost or switched coverage went without coverage for two or more years.
Real-world Cost Of Going Without Health Insurance in Tennessee
Let’s take a look at what really happens to those who don’t have health insurance. According to research by the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, not having health insurance may have contributed to nearly 17,000 deaths among hospitalized children in the United States in less than two decades.
This study is one of the largest ever to assess the impact that health insurance has on the number of preventable deaths, and the potential for saving children in the United States.
The researchers used more than 23 million hospital records from 37 states between 1988 and 2005, and compared the risk of death in children with health insurance and in those without health insurance. When comparing death rates by underlying disease, uninsured children appear to have increased risk of dying regardless of their medical condition.
Other factors being equal, investigators uncovered that the uninsured children in the study were 60 percent more likely to die in the hospital than the children with insurance. Worse still, this analysis only considered deaths during hospitalization, and does not reflect the deaths that may have occurred after the children were discharged from the hospital. If the study had included the children who died without ever being hospitalized, the real death toll of children without health insurance could be even worse.
This is not the only study of a large volume of records that has shown a powerful link between a lack of health insurance and increased risk of dying.
Yet, an estimated 7 million U.S. children remain uninsured.
Young Adults Want Health Insurance
A Commonwealth Fund survey conducted between May and July of 2009, found that nearly half (45 percent or approximately 20 million adults) of those surveyed across the nation between the ages of 19 and 29 were uninsured at some time during the past year. The vast majority of survey participants said it was important for Congress and the President to assure affordable health insurance for all and improve health care.
This was true across party lines with 98 percent of Democrats, 88 percent of Independents, and 73 percent of Republicans saying that passing health care reform was important.
The survey also revealed that uninsured young adults go without coverage for extended periods. Forty-six percent said they had been without health insurance for more than two years, and 23 percent said they had been uninsured for one to two years.
Eighty-two percent of survey participants supported increasing the number of years they could receive health insurance coverage through their parents' policies.
Greater Choice Among Tennessee Health Insurance Plans
Young adults stand to benefit significantly from reforms that make Tennessee health insurance more affordable and protective. With relative good health, young adults have better chances of finding comprehensive long-term coverage at lower rates.
Young adults can also choose from student health insurance, and short-term health insurance. These policies are typically less expensive than student health insurance, but often have more exclusions. Short-term health insurance plans generally remain in effect for up to 185 days, and are not renewable. You can apply for a new policy, though.
Any of these choices for coverage options will serve young adults better than going without health insurance. Young adults may have less to lose financially from being uninsured, but the greater risk of death suffered by those without health insurance cannot be ignored.
Half of the high school graduates who lost or switched coverage at graduation went without coverage for two or more years. Similarly, more than a fourth of the college graduates who lost or switched coverage went without coverage for two or more years.
Real-world Cost Of Going Without Health Insurance in Tennessee
Let’s take a look at what really happens to those who don’t have health insurance. According to research by the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, not having health insurance may have contributed to nearly 17,000 deaths among hospitalized children in the United States in less than two decades.
This study is one of the largest ever to assess the impact that health insurance has on the number of preventable deaths, and the potential for saving children in the United States.
The researchers used more than 23 million hospital records from 37 states between 1988 and 2005, and compared the risk of death in children with health insurance and in those without health insurance. When comparing death rates by underlying disease, uninsured children appear to have increased risk of dying regardless of their medical condition.
Other factors being equal, investigators uncovered that the uninsured children in the study were 60 percent more likely to die in the hospital than the children with insurance. Worse still, this analysis only considered deaths during hospitalization, and does not reflect the deaths that may have occurred after the children were discharged from the hospital. If the study had included the children who died without ever being hospitalized, the real death toll of children without health insurance could be even worse.
This is not the only study of a large volume of records that has shown a powerful link between a lack of health insurance and increased risk of dying.
Yet, an estimated 7 million U.S. children remain uninsured.
Young Adults Want Health Insurance
A Commonwealth Fund survey conducted between May and July of 2009, found that nearly half (45 percent or approximately 20 million adults) of those surveyed across the nation between the ages of 19 and 29 were uninsured at some time during the past year. The vast majority of survey participants said it was important for Congress and the President to assure affordable health insurance for all and improve health care.
This was true across party lines with 98 percent of Democrats, 88 percent of Independents, and 73 percent of Republicans saying that passing health care reform was important.
The survey also revealed that uninsured young adults go without coverage for extended periods. Forty-six percent said they had been without health insurance for more than two years, and 23 percent said they had been uninsured for one to two years.
Eighty-two percent of survey participants supported increasing the number of years they could receive health insurance coverage through their parents' policies.
Greater Choice Among Tennessee Health Insurance Plans
Young adults stand to benefit significantly from reforms that make Tennessee health insurance more affordable and protective. With relative good health, young adults have better chances of finding comprehensive long-term coverage at lower rates.
Young adults can also choose from student health insurance, and short-term health insurance. These policies are typically less expensive than student health insurance, but often have more exclusions. Short-term health insurance plans generally remain in effect for up to 185 days, and are not renewable. You can apply for a new policy, though.
Any of these choices for coverage options will serve young adults better than going without health insurance. Young adults may have less to lose financially from being uninsured, but the greater risk of death suffered by those without health insurance cannot be ignored.
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