Young adults, considered a key population for insurers to succeed in the post-reform market, are increasingly becoming disillusioned with the healthcare reform law, believing their costs will increase while quality decreases, according to a new survey from the Harvard University's Institute of Politics.
The survey of 2,089 young adults 18 to 29 years old found 57 percent disapprove of the reform law. What's more, 51 percent of young adults say the reform law will increase their health costs and 40 percent expect the quality of care to worsen.
Perhaps most problematic, almost half of the surveyed young adults say they're unlikely to enroll in the health insurance exchanges, even if they're eligible.
These results point to how the botched HealthCare.gov rollout has affected young adults' opinion of the law overall and reinforced doubts of whether they even need health coverage.
"The trend is daunting for the White House but not necessarily surprising," Pew Research Center Director Michael Dimock told The Hill's Healthwatch. "Younger folks are part of Obama's base ... but the rollout confirmed concerns that were already in their minds."
On the same day the Harvard survey was released, President Obama hosted a White House "Youth Summit," where 160 young leaders were asked to encourage other young adults to sign up for an exchange plan, reported Bloomberg. "This law is already making a difference for millions of young people," Obama said. "I'm going to need your help to spread the word."
The summit is the second event in a three-week media blitz the White House is leading to focus attention on the benefits of the reform law just ahead of the Dec. 23 enrollment deadline, Time's Swampland reported.
To learn more:
- here's the Harvard survey
- see the Bloomberg article
- check out Time's Swampland article
- read The Hill's Healthwatch article