Like many college seniors graduating this spring, Ohio University student Justin Agler will no longer be eligible for health insurance under his parents' policy - that is, until new legislation takes effect in late September 2010.
The Affordable Health Care Act will allow young adults to remain on their parents' plan until the age of 26 - but because the act will not take effect until Sept. 23, many college graduates are likely to encounter a gap in their health care coverage.
Come this summer, Agler, who is studying sports physiology, will join the 30 percent of young adults between the ages of 19 and 29 who are uninsured, said Hillary Viers, spokeswoman for United States Rep. Charlie Wilson (D-6). She added that this age group has the highest uninsured rate.
To close the uninsured gap for college graduates and other young adults whose insurance policies will expire when they graduate, 65 health insurance agencies agreed to implement the health care act as early as the end of May, said Barb Danford, a spokeswoman for Wilson's district office in Marietta.
Young adults are putting themselves at a serious risk if they are uninsured in this time period
said Ethan Slavin, a spokesman for Aetna, one of the 65 insurance agencies implementing the act early. A single major accident or trip to the ER could be very expensive especially for somebody just out of school who might not have a consistent income.
A single office visit at Express Care University Medical Associates, 265 West Union St., can cost between $85 and $150, depending on a person's income. The Express Care numbers may be lower than traditional emergency care centers not funded by federal grants, according to a representative of the center.
Christy Watts, a senior studying sports physiology, is covered under her parents' plan with Anthem, another insurance agency implementing the act early.
But for those young people who are covered by agencies not volunteering to implement the act early, their best option is to find an affordable individual plan for the summer and then return to their parents' plan in late September, Danford said.
When Agler's health care coverage with Medical Mutual expires upon graduation, he said he is not concerned about the gap in his insurance plan even though his active life could put him at a higher risk for injuries.
I'm not really sure what I will do yet he said. I'm hoping things will just work themselves out; they usually do.
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Laura Service
