Obamacare and American Young Adults

Story:
Effective in October of 2014, The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, will begin to
reshape the way citizens of the U.S. acquire health insurance. While its easy to be overwhelmed
by the constant influx of speculations, it is impossible to determine the outcome of this
healthcare plan just yet. However, there is still plenty of time to gather the facts, in order to better
understand the effect this law will have on our nation, especially those in their late teens and
early twenties.
I support healthcare, but I dont think we can afford it as a country. Said Flagler
College Senior, Brianna Bradford. Bradfords worries echo those of many young people across
the country, unsure how our nations economy can manage to support the weight of a further
complicated the health care system. According to The Foundry, the latest cost estimate for
Obamacares insurance provisions is $1.5 trillion, over the next 10 years. Given a nation that is
well over $16 trillion in debt, it is hard to fathom a foreseeable future without extreme deficit.
A number of changes will be made regarding the ages of those in need of medical
insurance and what category they now fall in to. One notable modification prevents insurance
companies from charging older Americans, age 55 and up, more for premiums. Heritage research
shows that the oldest group of non-medicare adults normally consumes about five times as much
medical care as younger citizens. As a result, premiums for those ages 18 to 24 are expected to
increase by 45 percent.
However, these new age requirements provide benefits for those younger Americans,
allowing them to remain on their parents health insurance until they reach the age of 26. While

the current age limit varies state-by-state, this permits a substantial amount of time for younger
groups to remain insured until they are able to acquire medical insurance plans of their own.
As graduates have taken a hard hit in the economys steep decline, jobs are limited and
insurance remains harder to come by. For those struggling to pay off student loans, it is important
to note that Obamacare will bring upon the nationalization of the student loan industry. This
means that the federal government will end subsidies to private lenders, thus putting them in
charge of servicing federally backed student loans. This is due to the fact that the government
feels private lenders play a large part in the student debt problem, lending too generously thus
creating high interest rates.
Funding for education will also be effected, as Obamacare adds almost 20 million
Americans to Medicaid. As states will have to account for this in their budget, less funding will
be directed towards education and other state financed programs. However, while states are
encouraged to expand coverage to their poorest, the Supreme Court decided that states have the
opportunity to opt-out of Medicaid without losing any federal funding, which would not solve
the problem for those who cannot afford healthcare.
Premiums by gender will also be affected upon the installment of Obamacare. According
to the Center for American Progress, women of reproductive age spend 68 percent more on their
health care expenses than men. Women can also face coverage exclusions by health insurance
providers based on gender-specific, pre-existing conditions, such as Cesarean sections, rape,
breast cancer and domestic violence. Additionally, there will be no co-pay for crucial services
such as birth control, breast pumps and cancer screening. Under the Affordable Care Act,
insurers may not discriminate against women, not for sexual orientation, pre-existing conditions,
race or any of the factors and biases women face currently.

HannahWikowski,aSenioratWestChesterUniversity,takesaConstitutionalstandpoint
onthishotissue,noting,Citizens in the United States have more rights than many: some are
guaranteed by the Constitution, some created and protected by the courts, while others are
provided by statute, yet the Constitution fails to promise a right to health care. Obamacareisa
complicatedandlonganticipatedprovisiontothecurrentstateofAmericashealthinsurance.
Whetheryouarefororagainstit,theAffordableCareActhasbeenpassedandwilltakeeffect
nextyear.UntilthereparationsofObamacarebegintomaterialize,manyquestionsremain
unanswered,but,knowingthefactsisagreatstart.

Sources:
Hannah Wikowski
Phone: (484) 467-2142
Email:
Ethan Reynolds
Phone: (515)240-8255
Ereynolds@flagler.edu