title: Characteristics of Young Adults Enrolled Through the Affordable Care Act-Dependent Coverage Expansion.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine sociodemographic and health care-related characteristics of young adults covered through the Affordable Care Act (ACA)-dependent coverage expansion.
  
  
  
  Our sample consisted of 36,802 young adults aged 19-25 years from 2011 to 2014 National Health Interview Survey. Sociodemographic differences among young adults with the four insurance types were described: privately insured under parents, privately insured under self/spouse, publicly insured, and uninsured. Multivariable logistic models were fitted to compare those covered under parent with those covered through other traditional insurance types, in terms of the following outcomes: health status, health behaviors, insurance history and experience, access to care, care utilization, and receipt of preventive service, controlling for sociodemographic factors.
  
  
  
  Young adults who were covered under their parents' insurance were most likely to be college students and non-Hispanic whites. These young adults also had more stable insurance, better access to care, better care utilization patterns, and reported better health status, compared to their peers.
  
  
  
  The beneficiaries of the ACA-dependent coverage expansion were more likely to be college students from families with high socioeconomic status. Coverage under parents was associated with improved access to care and health outcomes among young adults. The enrollees through the ACA represent the healthiest subgroup of young adults and those with the best care utilization patterns, suggesting that the added cost relative to premium for insurers from this population will likely be minimal.
authors.affiliation: Surveillance and Health Services Research Program, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia. Electronic address: xuesong.han@cancer.org.
authors.forename: Xuesong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Surveillance and Health Services Research Program, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Shiyun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Surveillance and Health Services Research Program, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Ahmedin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jemal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D017057:Medically Uninsured / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D058991:Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Access to care; Affordable Care Act; Dependent coverage expansion; Health status; Insurance; Young adults