• printer friendly
• mail this article
• iPod format
• digg

As students near graduation, the most important thing on their mind may understandably be how they’re going to get paid. But a worry that fewer college students have is how they’re going to get health care coverage.

Most students at UCLA may have either been using the Ashe Center with the Student Health Insurance Plan or staying on a parent’s employer health plan – “Make sure you’re a full-time student, Bobby, otherwise no doctor visits for you--.”

But as most graduates will find out, all that glory ends once you graduate.

The statistics are astounding.

In the United States today, 25- to 34- year-olds are the biggest chunk of the uninsured with 18- to 24-year-olds following closely behind. Together, they account for 40 percent of the nation’s nearly 45 million uninsured, according to a December 2004 publication from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Why is this such a concern? Imagine if a group of young people take a trip somewhere and all got into a tragic accident.

The statistics show that one out of five of those young adults would be uninsured and they are likely to be in a great amount of debt because of their health care bills.

That can include staying at the hospital or getting medications to treat pain. These health care costs can affect everyone either directly or indirectly if a person cannot pay.

Without insurance, seeing a doctor for preventative services is also unlikely, which translates to high health care costs in the distant future.

Nevertheless, many young people are risking it. Some say it’s because the youth have a feeling of invincibility. That is, they feel healthy and don’t think they’ll need health coverage.

When a young person enters the job market and they have the choice of getting health insurance through their jobs or having a bigger paycheck, a bigger paycheck sounds better when it seems like you won’t need to see a doctor too often. (And those school loans are still looming over your head.)

Some graduates may further be convinced by the rising cost of health insurance premiums that more employers are passing over to their employees to cover.

Unfortunately, the uninsured are one accident away from going severely into debt from their medical bills.

With 18 million uninsured 18- to 34- year olds, some health insurance plans are catching on that young adults are an untapped market. In fact, several health insurance companies have come out with health plans designed for the young adult who needs to purchase individual plans – plans that individuals can purchase independently of their employer.

Young people can also get catastrophic coverage which protects purchasers from large, unplanned medical expenses (not doctor visits).

It is easy for anyone to get lost in the land of health care code words that revolve around insurance: HMO, PPO, co-pay, PCP, EOB, etc.

While it may seem intimidating, the most important prerequisite of choosing how one wants to insure himself is understanding all the options and how to pick the best health plan.

Seven weeks from now, like many students, I am going to graduate and I will also become a statistic: I will be 24 years old and uninsured.

Though I probably won’t be able to afford individual coverage immediately, I hope to find an employer that offers health benefits as soon as possible.

Live long and live healthy and no matter what, don’t become just another health care statistic.

If you need help, the United States Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality gives some excellent tips.

Maral Farsi is a second-year masters of public health candidate (health services, policy).