title: Rite of passage? Why young adults become uninsured and how new policies can help.
abstract: Young adults (ages 19 to 29) are one of the largest and fastest-growing segments of the U.S. population without health insurance: more than 13 million lacked coverage in 2003, an increase of 2.2 million since 2000. Young adults often lose coverage under their parents' policies at age 19, or when they graduate from high school or college. Nearly two of five college graduates and one-half of high school graduates who do not go on to college will be uninsured for a period during the first year after graduation. Three policy changes could extend coverage to uninsured young adults and prevent others from losing it: extending eligibility for dependents under private coverage through age 23; extending eligibility for Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program to age 23; and ensuring that colleges and universities require full-and part-time students to have insurance, and that they offer coverage to both.
authors.affiliation: The Commonwealth Fund, USA. src@cmwf.org
authors.forename: Sara R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.forename: Cathy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schoen
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Kriss
authors.forename: Michelle M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Doty
authors.forename: Bisundev
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mahato
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006291:Health Policy; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017057:Medically Uninsured / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017149:Private Sector; D017150:Public Sector; D014481:United States