13,700,000 Uninsured

[Welcome Industry Radar readers!]

We keep hearing about 45, 46, 47 million uninsured. But the press rarely gives us details.

Readers of InsureBlog know that this is an issue addressed almost ad nauseum. But sometimes it is worth repeating.

Six years ago, Evelyn Reinthaler’s face smacked against the windshield of her Geo Prism during an Interstate collision. The accident sent her to the hospital, where she racked up an $18,000 bill.

This winter she broke into tears when she was hit with a $100 bill for flu medication.

The 25-year-old Omahan, a part-time student, is among the more than 13 million young adults nationally who lack health insurance.

Even though older Americans often are the focus of concerns about health care costs, people ages 19 to 29 are one of the fastest-growing groups without insurance, according to a report by the Commonwealth Fund.

A small percentage of my business is comprised of people in this age bracket. Most have plans selected by and paid for by their parents.

Even though they comprise just 17 percent of the under-65 population, young adults account for 30 percent of the nonelderly uninsured

Carriers are introducing new plans to appeal to this generation but the marketing effort is falling on deaf ears.