Posted by Kromey at 3:53pm Mar 18 '10While 62% of Americans believe that health care reform is necessary and should be tackled by Congress, more oppose the Democratic legislation than favor it. The primary reasons for opposition to this bill is a belief that it will increase the cost of insurance or that it fails to address the real problem. Opposition to big government - the number 1 reason in September - has fallen to number 4, while "need more information" has fallen from 2 to 3.
This comes right on the heels of another announcement:
Young adults who are in good health are significantly more likely to have health insurance than those who have some health issue, according to an analysis of Gallup Healthways Well-Being Index data from 2009. (Source)
This is in direct conflict with a frequent rallying point of Obamacare supporters who argue that healthy young adults are those who are most likely to "shirk their responsibility" to purchase health insurance.
Overall, what this shows is that, on average, those without health insurance tend to have poorer health than those who do, meaning that if the health insurance mandate and "community rating" pass, Americans overall can expect to see their insurance premiums increase. At the same time, those with lower incomes - and thus most likely to require assistance in purchasing health insurance - are the ones most likely to lack insurance, adding a significant burden to taxpayers to offset their costs.
This comes right on the heels of another announcement:
Young adults who are in good health are significantly more likely to have health insurance than those who have some health issue, according to an analysis of Gallup Healthways Well-Being Index data from 2009. (Source)
This is in direct conflict with a frequent rallying point of Obamacare supporters who argue that healthy young adults are those who are most likely to "shirk their responsibility" to purchase health insurance.
Rather, income appears more strongly related to young adults having health insurance. Among those in the upper third of the income distribution among 18- to 29-year-olds (annual incomes of $48,000 or greater), 86% have health insurance. This declines to 72% of those in the middle-third income group (making between $24,000 and $48,000) and to 58% of those in the lower-third income group (making less than $24,000 per year).This poll goes on to show a strong inverse correlation between poor health and good income - i.e. those with lower overall health tend to have lower income.
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From a rational economic perspective, however, it is not necessarily in young adults' financial interests to carry insurance when premiums are high, and the likelihood they will need to use it is low, particularly since young adults make less money on average than older Americans.
Overall, what this shows is that, on average, those without health insurance tend to have poorer health than those who do, meaning that if the health insurance mandate and "community rating" pass, Americans overall can expect to see their insurance premiums increase. At the same time, those with lower incomes - and thus most likely to require assistance in purchasing health insurance - are the ones most likely to lack insurance, adding a significant burden to taxpayers to offset their costs.