As college students, Obamacare does not appear to be much of a concern. However, while Obamacare benefits college students and recently graduated members of the American work- force, its long-term implications pose some negative effects upon every socioeconomic group and all individuals, working or not. Obamacare provides parents with the option to extend their coverage for their children until they reach 26 years of age, making it initially beneficial for college students who have no job or can only maintain part-time work with no benefits. “[Obamacare] gives a grace period because people who graduate college might not have a full time job after college,” said Pace alumni Dan Fiasconaro. “It gives parents the option to pro- vide their kids with insurance until they find full time employment.”
While this is true, and many students are grateful to not have to pay for their own health insurance coverage while attend- ing a full time educational institution, this does place a burden upon families.
Jennifer Robert’s “Obamacare fallout” in the Wash- ington Post makes the point that “many families will be forced to pay a fine because they can’t get affordable insurance for everyone in their household.”
As if this was not a complication in and of itself, there arises an issue which is termed the adverse-selection problem.
This problem essentially acknowledges that uninsured citizens with preexisting medical conditions will be more likely to purchase health insurance, while current healthy policyholders will begin to leave the insured group. As these healthy policy holders stop purchasing insurance, the insured population will eventually consist of a majority of people with preexisting medical conditions, causing insurance rates to rise. Insurance would eventually become too expensive for anyone to purchase.
It will likely become more and more difficult for parents to pay for their grown children’s insurance coverage, and- once these children reach 26 years old- their insurance will be even more expensive and difficult to buy, whether or not they are employed.
Furthermore, insur- ance itself requires a large pool of those who require insurance, and those who don’t, to pay pre- miums. Otherwise the insurance company will have no money to pay for those who truly do require assistance. If young, healthy peo- ple do not pay insurance premi- ums, companies will once again be forced to continuously raise their rates, making insurance even more expensive.
These long term effects are surely something to consider. At some point, every student on this campus and on campuses throughout the country will either choose to pay for their own insur- ance coverage, be forced to pay for their own insurance coverage because their family cannot han- dle the cost, or will reach 26 years old and be considered responsible for their own health insurance.
This is a fact which re- quires much deliberation if vot- ing Americans are going to ei- ther cope with or attempt to draft amendments to the Obamacare bill. Even in the immediate, there are issues with the Obamacare bill.
New York Times writer Robert H. Frank acknowledges in his article “For Obamacare to Work, Everyone Must be In” that, “preexisting medical conditions shouldn’t prevent people from obtaining affordable health in- surance. And…people who don’t want health insurance shouldn’t be forced by the government to purchase it.”
This idea claims that the bill, at least in the form in which it was written, violates themes in
the Constitution that government involvement in both state and personal matters, throughout the United States, is, and ought to be, limited. Perhaps the government is overstepping its bounds by re- quiring all citizens to be insured.
It is relatively easy for col- lege students to passively glance at Obamacare, particularly if their parents can afford their health- care coverage.
Surely, the bill has its pros and cons, and in the imme- diate, it appears to have little ef- fect on full time students. How- ever, how may it affect students in seven to ten years? Are you comfortable scrabbling to pay for health care while you attempt to find a job in the current economic conditions? Can you afford to let insurance rates rise over the next seven to ten years, when it’s sud- denly your turn to pay and be responsible for your own health-care?
Then again, it might not affect you right now, so there may be no point in even worrying about it. You may as well enjoy it while it lasts.