An estimated 11 million young adults ages 19 to 34 currently lack health insurance. Health insurers covet this age group as enrollees for their generally healthy status and lower cost risk. Bringing more of these uninsured young people into the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces would bring more balance to the marketplace risk pools, which some insurers complain are dominated by less healthy people.
One option for attracting young people being floated in policy circles is lowering premiums for this group by raising the limit on how much more insurers can charge older people relative to young people. The ACA bans insurers from charging people higher premiums on the basis of health or gender, but insurers are allowed to charge older adults up to three times what they charge young adults. This provision helps protect insurers from the greater potential health costs of older adults. Some have suggested that insurers be allowed to increase this so-called age band from 3:1 to 5:1 or higher, or allowing states to set their own age bands.
HENRY KOTULA 