In order to get coverage to students, universities are now making health insurance mandatory. The University of Massachusetts requires that every student purchase some form of insurance, whether it is an individual health insurance policy or through the university.
Also, the University of Minnesota goes so far as audit 15 percent of their student population for proof of insurance every semester. Students who do not provide the proof within three weeks time of the audit will receive a $907 fee for that semester and is automatically covered under the universities group plan.
But after graduation, things change.
Not surprisingly, young adults are more likely to go without health insurance than any other age group. According to the U.S. Census Bureau people between the ages of 18 to 24 had the highest rates of uninsured in 2008, reaching 28.9 percent. People between the ages of 25 to 34 years of age held the second highest rates of unemployment at 26.5 percent.
A big part of it is the fact that when a young adult graduates from college, he or she loses a parent’s coverage. So to get coverage, the grad has to find a new job or purchase an individual health insurance plan. But many young people just go without insurance coverage — because they don’t yet have a job, don’t believe they can afford coverage on their own, or don’t believe they need it.