Cal Poly didn’t expect high enrollment in the government health care services, but according to Director of Health Services Dr. Richard Harris, this age bracket is important because they are generally healthy, and bring balance to an insurance pool.
Hannah Croft
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For the first time since its implementation, the Obama administration released an age breakdown of its Affordable Care Act enrollees.
Of the nearly 2.2 million people enrolled in state or federal healthcare plans, only a quarter of them are in the 18 to 34 age bracket — a crucial age group, according to a Politico report released Tuesday. In California, 23 percent of those enrolled are in that “crucial” age bracket.
Covered California has seen a higher percentage of residents enrolling in their programs overall compared to national statistics, campus coordinator Christina Lefevre said. According to the Covered California blog, they were receiving 10,000 applicants a day in November.
As of Dec. 17, 7,869 residents of Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties — Covered California’s Central Coast region — had enrolled in the program.
Cal Poly didn’t expect high enrollment in the government health care services, but according to Director of Health Services Dr. Richard Harris, this age bracket is important because they are generally healthy, and bring balance to an insurance pool.
“We need a healthy group to balance society,” he said. “Insurance works on the assumption that it’s 80 percent healthy people and 20 percent ill people.”
But under the Affordable Care Act, students can remain on their parents’ health insurance plans until the age of 26. In a recent interview with Mustang News, Covered California campus coordinator Catherine Thomas said approximately 90 percent of Cal Poly students are insured. So, according to Harris, insurance isn’t on the minds of many Cal Poly students.
But health insurance will likely soon be a priority for many students.
“We aren’t used to thinking about illness or insurance,” Harris said. “But in reality, everyone will need insurance at some time.”
That time could be sooner than some students think. While the Cal Poly Health Center serves as an important resource for primary and urgent care, their services don’t extend into emergency services. If a student needs surgery, the health center is no longer an option.
“If you’re in a cycling accident and you need surgery, you’ll need orthopedic surgery and plastic surgery, and that adds up,” Harris said. “Those can cost tens of thousands of dollars.”
So for the time being, it’s safe to stay on your family’s health insurance, Harris said. It’s one of the “true, true benefits of the Affordable Care Act.” He encourages everyone to be prudent, and not to wait for something to happen.
“You need to not gamble with things like yourself,” Harris said.