bad health insurance behavior by young adults costs all the rest of us money

For decades now, one of the largest groups of uninsured Americans has been the 18 to 25 year-old crowd.

In insurance parlance this group has been dubbed the “Young Invincibles” because their youth and good health often mean they get the best prices on health insurance, and are unlikley to have an application declined becuase of a pre-existing conditions, but they choose to stay uninsured


Why? The assumption is that many simply don’t take the time to look for health insurance; either because they don’t think they need it (they’re young and invincible) or because they assume it’s unaffordable.

At select Insurance Group we think this is an important issue and wanted to find a different, perhaps more entertaining, way to engage twentysomethings on the topic. .

Give President Obama credit for addressing this “young invincible” issue head-on in his 2009 address to Congress, when he said, “Those of us with health insurance are… paying a hidden… tax for those without it – about $1000 per year for somebody else’s emergency room… care. There may be those – particularly the young and healthy – who still want to take the risk and go without coverage… The problem is such irresponsible behavior costs all the rest of us money…”

The President also did something about this issue in his health reform law by making it easier for young people to stay on their parent’s health insurance and providing new protections for people who buy their own health insurance.


America’s health care system is not perfect, and there are people who can’t get health insurance no matter how hard they try. But, there are also uninsured people who could qualify for affordable health insurance if they took the time to look. So, we’re encouraging every uninsured American to:

1.Check your options – Go to missourimedicalbenefits.org or work with one of our licensed agents and get quotes for private insurance options in your area. Many people are shocked by how affordable an individual health insurance policy can be, especially for young adults.

2.Expect better benefits – Provisions of the health care reform law expanded benefits for many new health insurance policies. For example, it put an end to lifetime dollar limits on coverage (for most medical services). It also made certain preventive care services available to policyholders with no out-of-pocket costs and increased consumer protections from rate increases.

3.Don’t run from pre-existing conditions – Review eHealthInsurance’s list of pre-existing conditions that don’t necessarily result in a declined application for individual insurance. And, investigate the new Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan available through the Department of Health and Human Services at Healthcare.gov.

4.Get a second opinion – Contact our Missouri non-profit Foundation, Christians against no coverage a/k/a "CAN" for Health Coverage (www.missourimedicalbenefits.org) if you can’t qualify for private insurance due to a medical condition, or if you find the cost of health insurance to be too expensive. Our Missouri CAN Foundation for Health Coverage can direct you to all available state and federal health insurance products available for people in your position.

5.Pay a fair price – Don’t be afraid to negotiate prices for expensive medical procedures. Find out what the going rate is for a host of medical services by visiting Healthcare Blue Book (www.HealthcareBlueBook.com). This strategy is especially helpful for people who have high deductible health insurance plans, Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), are uninsured, or who to visit an out-of-network medical provider.
Let’s hope that if we make it clear to young people that finding health insurance has never been easier, we’ll begin to see more people step up and get covered.