December 1st, 2008

The Times-Leader today features an op-ed by Denise S. Cesare, the president and chief executive officer of Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania.  In her piece, Cesare lists the reasons that Blue Cross supports Senate Bill 1453, which would require insurance companies to offer coverage to single, childless children of policy holders, at the policy holder’s discretion, through age 29.

Write Cesare:

“One of the largest segments of the uninsured population consists of young people between the ages of 19 and 29. About 13.7 million adults in that category were not covered by health insurance in 2006, an increase of 3 percent over 2005, according to the Commonwealth Fund, an independent foundation.

…

Why do many of these young adults find themselves without insurance? This group often loses coverage at the pivotal age of 19. While some young adults might continue under their parents’ coverage during their college years, many have “aged off” of their parents’ employer policies and often are taking part-time jobs that all too frequently don’t offer health insurance.

…

Like CHIP, we have another opportunity to extend coverage to a young segment of our population. While the 19-to-29 age group tends to be healthy and, as such, perhaps not in the greatest immediate need of coverage, people of all ages can have catastrophic events or contract life-threatening diseases, some of which, if treated early, can improve long-term health outcomes.”

Read the entire opinion piece at the Times-Leader.