A not too surprising stat reveals around “30 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds are uninsured in the United States.” Universal health-care anyone?
Here are some of the findings from the survey:
- The young workforce reported a lack of confidence in finding health benefits in the following common situations: if they become unemployed (35 percent); if their employer does not offer health benefits (31 percent); if they return to school (25 percent).
- Forty-seven percent of young workers who are covered under their parents’ plan don’t know what kind of plan they have.
- Nearly one-third (30 percent) of the young workforce depend on their parents for help when choosing health benefits.
- Young workers think 64 percent, or six out of every 10 people, they know are confused about health benefits.
- Forty-six percent of the young workforce say earning a higher salary is the most important thing they focus on when job hunting.
- Only eight percent rank health benefits as their top priority when looking for jobs.
- Fifty-eight percent of the young workforce surveyed say they reviewed their health benefits package for 30 minutes or less upon enrolling in a plan.
All of these responses are not surprising coming from 18-to-24-year-olds. If you are a healthy young person, which most young people are, you are not pre-occupied with health insurance.
Another stat was, “Instead of paying for health benefits, 70 percent would rather contribute a portion of their monthly earnings to paying down credit card debt, building their savings accounts or contributing to their 401k.” If this country is producing a next generation of people who are debt-free, have savings and retirement accounts from a young age then we are all in better shape.
I am not saying the youth should ignore health insurance or not have any. However, the bottom line is if a person is debt-free, has an emergency fund of at least 3-6 months of income and fully funded retirement accounts, not too mention other investments and savings then paying for healthcare will not be a problem.
Young people often suffer from "immortality complex" and that can lead them to be unable to grasp the fact that health insurance can literally save their lives. It's somewhat crazy, but not altogether surprising.
Jerry
Posted by: Jerry | September 12, 2008 4:01 AM | Permalink to Comment