Presently adults under 30 are more likely to go without health insurance than children or older adults. Those just starting out are more likely to be unemployed, work in industries like retail and food service that don't provide health benefits, freelance, have part-time jobs or simply earn less because they're at the beginning of their careers.
A Commonwealth Fund survey found that 10.4 million Americans between the ages of 19 and 29 had no health insurance during at least part of the 12 months before November 2011. That's 39 percent of people in that age group, more than any other.
A revolution may now be on the way for the under-30 set: Thanks to the provisions put in place under the new health care law, the days of needing a job just to get affordable health insurance may be over.
The shift in how Americans can get health insurance, in some ways a little noticed effect of the sweeping 2010 law that will be in full force by 2014, could be particularly radical for young adults.
They are uninsured at higher rates than any other age group and face a job market less likely to provide health benefits than the one their older siblings and parents entered in their 20s.
"If you want a career that doesn't tend to be associated with companies that provide health insurance coverage, you'll have more options," said Sara Collins, the vice president for affordable health insurance at the Commonwealth Fund. "It frees people's work-life decisions."
Read more: Health Care Reform Will Positively Remake Health Insurance Market For Young Adults
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