Russell: Affordable Health Care Act makes signing up for health coverage easy for students

The government will officially instate the Affordable Care Act on Oct. 1, making health care available for the 19 million Americans between the ages of 18 and 34, who currently don’t have coverage. I’m one of them.

Most college students are currently covered under their parents’ plans, which is a direct result of the Affordable Care Act. Plans and issuers are now required to offer dependent coverage to children until they reach the age of 26. Still, everything from parental unemployment to independent status can leave some students in the dust. But for young students who don’t have much experience orchestrating their own health care coverage, the act also makes signing up for coverage feasible.

At Healthcare.gov, students can fill out a short form that asks for age, gender, location and other relevant information. With these results, the program generates a list of options for which  the individual is likely eligible. With a user-friendly, side-by-side chart, students can easily compare and contrast the coverage plans available, while also exploring opportunities such as tax credits to lower costs.

By January 2014, 17 million of the 19 million uninsured young adults could also be eligible for free or reduced coverage plans through expanded Medicaid programs. Unfortunately, Pennsylvania is one of the 27 states that won’t participate in the expansion, though Gov. Tom Corbett recently said he’ll accept federal subsidies from the act in order to expand Medicaid. Under Corbett’s proposed expansion, Medicaid recipients would pay modest monthly premiums instead of co-payments for doctor’s visits. 

Despite all of the excellent resources available, a recent poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation revealed that 80 percent of those under the age of 30 have heard little to nothing about the health care marketplace.

A Washington, D.C., based organization called Young Invincibles is determined to change that. Starting in October, the organization will begin its Social Media Month of Action, which will use social media as a tool to inform young people about their rights and opportunities in the health care market. According to Young Invincibles, 9 million of the 19 million uninsured 19- to 34-year-olds could be eligible for discounted coverage in the health insurance marketplace.

What does this mean for students with preexisting conditions? Before the Affordable Care Act, as many as 122 million adults would have been denied health insurance coverage because of a preexisting condition. Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies are no longer granted the right to deny anyone necessary coverage.

One of the best ways that students can stay informed about the radical changes of the health care marketplace in the next few days is to invite organizations such as Young Invincibles into their social media circle.

Although the health care industry is moving in the right direction, there are still some things that Pitt students in particular can do to speed along the process of Pennsylvania’s alternative expansion model. In addition to getting involved with organizations such as Young Invincibles, you can play a more active political role by contacting Pennsylvania congressmen to urge the movement toward expanding health care.

For someone like me, this plan means being able to see a doctor for the first time in years. But for someone who is still uninterested in becoming insured, the penalty fee for opting out of the Affordable Care Act starts at $95.