Rep. Johnson: 1 million additional young adults covered under Affordable Care Act

Adults between the ages of 19-25 with health insurance increases by 3.5 %

ATLANTA, GA – Rep. Johnson announced that new data released this week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that the Affordable Care Act has helped one million additional young adults get health insurance.

“The Affordable Care Act is already improving the lives of America’s families, including one million young people who now enjoy health coverage,” Johnson said.

Specifically, data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) shows that in the first quarter of 2011, the percentage of adults between the ages of 19 and 25 with health insurance increased by 3.5 percent, representing about 1 million additional young adults with insurance coverage compared to a year ago.

The Affordable Care Act allows most young adults to remain on their parents’ health insurance plans until their 26th birthday.

The results from the CDC were also confirmed by a Gallup survey released today. As Gallup concluded, “The provision of the Affordable Care Act that allows children up to the age of 26 to remain on their parents’ plans appears to be having an immediate effect on the number of Americans who report they have health insurance. Since it went into effect in September 2010, the percentage of 18- to 25-year-olds who report being uninsured has significantly declined by four percentage points.”

“The Affordable Care Act has put Americans and their families, not the health insurance companies, back in charge of their health care,” said Johnson. “It includes a Patient’s Bill of Rights – that allows most young adults to remain on their parents’ health plan until age 26 and prohibits insurers from dropping people from coverage when they get sick, placing lifetime limits on coverage, and denying coverage to children with pre-existing conditions. All of these reforms are already helping Americans today and must be maintained.

###