With the Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) this month, college students and recent graduates are divided about the law's value and future, according to a survey sponsored by eHealthInsurance, an online source of health insurance for individuals and families.
According to eHealthInsurance's survey, conducted in April 2012 by Kelton Research, nearly a quarter of current students (23%) and recent college graduates (23%) will be "pleased" if the ACA is ruled unconstitutional, while more than four-in-ten (42% of current students; 44% of grads) will feel "indifferent" if the law is invalidated. At the same time, a substantial majority of each group would gladly accept government subsidies to help them buy coverage on their own.
The survey also reveals that today's young adults have mixed feelings about the "individual mandate," requiring most consumers without coverage to purchase it beginning in 2014, and many are not well informed about the provisions of the ACA already in effect.
-- A third of recent grads (33%) and a similar amount of current students
(36%) say they will feel "disappointed" if the health reform law is
ruled unconstitutional
-- More than two-in-ten (23% each for grads and students) will be
"pleased" if the law is ruled unconstitutional
-- However, more than four-in-ten recent grads (44%) and current students
(42%) say they will feel "indifferent" if the law is invalidated by
the court
Knowledge of Health Reform Provisions
-- Less than six-in-ten recent grads (57%) and even fewer current
students (43%) are aware that that the health reform law now allows
them to stay on their parents' health insurance policies until age 26
-- Very few recent grads (15%) and current students (16%) are aware that
health reform now ensures access to more preventive medical care
services at no out-of-pocket cost
-- Similarly few grads (14%) and students (16%) are aware that the health
care reform law did away with lifetime limits on health insurance
coverage for most covered services
Regarding the Individual Health Insurance "Mandate"
-- Nearly a quarter of recent grads (24%) and two-in-ten current students
(20%) say they would "not comply" with the mandate to purchase health
insurance coverage, if it applied to them
-- Among those who would comply, a slim majority think the mandate is a
"good idea" (52% of grads, 53% of students); more than four-in-ten
grads (48%) and students (47%) do not consider the mandate a good idea
Regarding Subsidies to Help Them Afford Health Insurance
-- More than six-in-ten recent grads (64%) and current students (63%)
would be grateful to receive government health insurance subsidies, if
they qualified for them
-- About a quarter of grads (23%) and students (26%) would feel
"indifferent" about receiving subsidies
-- Few recent grads (13%) and current students (11%) would feel
"embarrassed" about receiving government subsidy assistance
