Uninsured adults in Utah slipping through cracks

Young adults make up "one of the largest segments of the U.S. population without health insurance," according to a report released Tuesday by the Commonwealth Fund.

The expenses of insurance plague young adults throughout Utah and the nation. With almost one-third of workers across the nation between ages 19 and 29 working for less than $10 per hour, finding the funds to pay for insurance won't be easy.

To help with the problem, the report recommends that states "ensure all colleges and universities to require full-time and part-time students to have health insurance, and that they offer health insurance to both."

The report also recommends that eligibility for Medicaid and the SCHIP coverage be extended beyond the age of 18, and that eligibility be extended for dependents under private coverage beyond 18 or 19.

Many states have passed laws within the last two years requiring health plans to cover young adults on their parents' insurance until ages 24, 25 or 26. Utah led the way, passing such a law in 1994, covering young adults until age 26.

"We were the leader," said Suzette Green-Wright, Utah State Health Insurance director. "I think it's because we have a large population that serve LDS missions. This allows them to go to college for a year and serve a mission and come home and stay on mom and dad's plan so they can finish school."

While the Utah law helps many young adults, others slip through the cracks. Married people do not benefit from the law.

"We're seeing a lot of them fall off the books because they're getting married in college," said Green-Wright. "That makes up a large block that we're concerned about."

Scott Swallow, a full-time student at the University of Utah and intern with Boyer Co., spends his free time risking life and limb for thrills. Water-skiing, motorcycling, rock climbing and mountain biking are among some of his favorite activities.

This fall, Swallow will be kicked off his parents' health-insurance plan and will have to find his own insurer. That means he will have to pay for his own coverage, if he chooses to purchase it.

"I wish there were some sort of policy out there that allowed young adults like me to get health insurance in an easy and affordable way," said Swallow. "One of my bigger issues is finding a provider that will allow me to keep doing what I want to do."

Utah has tinkered with the idea of requiring students attending Utah universities to have health insurance, but so far nothing concrete has happened.

"There has been a recommendation made to the commissioner of higher education," said Elaine Peterson, project director for the governor's initiative on health insurance for the uninsured. "It's been very loose, very informal. I'm not sure if it's had any legs."

---

E-mail: amarshall@desnews.com