The White House has made abundantly clear that the Affordable Care Act’s success depends largely on getting young, healthy people to sign up for health coverage.
This demographic is important — and also thought to be an especially tough sell. Young adults tend to have lower health-care costs and would be less likely to use their health plan. Paying a monthly premium when you don’t expect to get sick doesn’t sound like the greatest deal.
That’s what makes some early health law data surprising: A few signs are cropping up that, at least initially, young people have been among the more enthusiastic Affordable Care Act shoppers.
Access Health CT, Connecticut’s marketplace, said earlier this week that approximately one-third of the people who have so far applied for coverage there are under 35. This would hover around the administration’s goal of having 2.7 million of the 7 million estimated new people to enroll be between 18 and 35.
Maryland put out new data Friday afternoon on the 25,000 people who have so far created accounts on its marketplace. The biggest demographic? Shoppers between 25 and 29.
Early numbers do suggest at least some level of interest from young shoppers does indeed exist as open enrollment gets underway.
If that wasn’t enough, here’s a special message from one of your favorite celebrities about why the Affordable Care Act needs you:
