FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 11, 2014
Contact: Colin Seeberger, colin.seeberger@
Young Invincibles’ Statement on February Enrollment Data
New Numbers Come Following Launch of Major Outreach Campaign to Educate the Public About Consumer’s Access to Financial Help and the March 31 Deadline to Get Covered
[WASHINGTON]—Today, the Department of Health & Human Services announced that over 4.2 million Americans have selected private insurance plans through the federal and state Health Insurance Marketplaces by March 1. Cumulatively, over 1,075,990 young adults ages 18 to 34 have enrolled in coverage through the Marketplaces—representing a 33 percent increase in the number of young adult enrollments in just the last month. HHS also announced that 8.9 million individuals have been deemed Medicaid eligible.
“We are encouraged to see more young people enrolling and becoming more financially secure every day,” said Aaron Smith, Executive Director of Young Invincibles. “It’s go time. We are doing everything we can to get the word out about the law’s financial assistance and the March 31st deadline to get covered.”
Last week, Young Invincibles announced the launch of the Healthy Young America Mobile App Sweepstakes, an innovative contest designed to connect consumers to important resources that will raise awareness about the financial assistance available under the law. By entering the Sweepstakes, entrants could win $1,200, about the average cost of health care coverage for an uninsured young person for a year on the new Health Insurance Marketplace.
A recent Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index poll found that the uninsurance rate dropped from 18 percent before Open Enrollment began to 15.9 percent today. The poll found that the uninsurance rate among 18- to 25-year-olds fell one-half point to 23 percent and that the rate for 26- to 34-year-olds dropped from 28.2 percent to 26.6 percent.
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Young Invincibles is a national organization committed to amplifying the voices of young adults, ages 18 to 34, and expanding economic opportunity for our generation. Young Invincibles ensures that young adults are represented in today’s most pressing societal debates through cutting-edge policy research and analysis, and innovative campaigns designed to educate, inform and mobilize our generation to change the status quo.