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32,000 More Minnesota Residents Now Have Access to Health Care Thanks to Affordable Care Act

Nationwide health care law helped 2.5 million young adults

St. Paul – Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided state-by-state numbers showing that the Affordable Care Act continues to significantly increase the number of young adults who have health insurance,  helping 32,000 young adults here in Minnesota and 2.5 million around the country.

Before the Affordable Care Act, more young Americans lacked health insurance than any other age group – accounting for more than one in five of the uninsured.  Going without insurance put the health and finances of millions of young people at risk.  Contrary to the myth that young people don’t need health insurance, one in six young adults has a chronic disease like cancer, diabetes or asthma.  Studies show that nearly half of uninsured young adults reported problems paying their medical bills and others forwent regular care, like checkups or recommended screenings, due to cost.

President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act to put affordable, quality health insurance back within reach of all Americans.  Thanks to the new law, young adults can now stay on their parents’ plan up to age 26. 

“The numbers released this week by the CDC are good news for so many young Minnesotans and their families who no longer have to worry about receiving and affording health care while they start their careers,” said DFL Party Chair Ken Martin. “Health-care reform not only expands coverage, it also puts an end to insurance company abuses.  Already, insurance companies cannot cap or cancel coverage when someone gets sick and millions of Americans can get preventive care without copays or cost-sharing.  And, soon, it will be illegal for insurance companies to refuse to cover someone with pre-existing conditions. The Affordable Care Act is helping 32,000 young adults, and thousands of other Minnesotans every day -- that is a significant achievement and one of the many reasons I am glad that we have President Obama in the White House."

Originally, HHS projected that 1.24 million young adults would gain coverage in 2011 as a result of this part of the law. The actual numbers far exceed initial expectations.  The CDC recently announced that 2.5 million young adults now have health coverage, thanks to the Affordable Care Act. In Minnesota, that means an estimated 32,000 young Americans have access to health care because of the new law. 

Read more about this data from the National Center for Health Statistics at the CDC here: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/12/20111214d.html

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