| More than 67,000 young adults in Maryland have obtained health insurance through the program WHAT: News conference to call for extending successful program to subsidize health insurance for young adults WHEN: Tuesday, November 12, 2024; 11 a.m. WHERE: The East Columbia 50+ Center, 6610 Cradlerock Way, Multipurpose Room #2, Columbia. The event will also be live-streamed at https://www.facebook.com/mdhealthcareforall/ WHO:Howard County Executive Calvin Ball Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman Sen. Clarence Lam (Baltimore and Anne Arundel), lead sponsor Sen. Brian Feldman (Montgomery), co-sponsor Delegate Kenneth Kerr (Frederick), lead sponsor Michele Eberle, executive director, Maryland Health Benefit Exchange Sarah Bur, parent of participant in program Jana Varwig, parent of participant in program Vincent DeMarco, Maryland Health Care For All! Coalition |
| Legislators will join local officials and advocates to call on the Maryland General Assembly to act in 2025 to extend a successful program providing subsidies to help young adults obtain affordable health insurance. This year, the Young Adult Health Insurance Subsidy Pilot Program has used premium subsidies to help 67,000 young Marylanders enroll in insurance coverage, including over 22,000 who are new to the marketplace. Thanks to this program, which is administered by the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, many young adults (ages 18 to 37) have been able to access health coverage through Maryland Health Connection for the first time. For other young adults who already had coverage, the program made it easier for them to afford their plans or upgrade to plans with lower deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance. Young adults now make up 30 percent of all private-plan enrollments on the state exchange – an all-time high. At the new conference, two parents of young adults who received help to obtain health insurance will speak about the program’s critical benefits. Legislation to be introduced in the General Assembly will extend the successful program beyond 2025. The program is funded through an assessment on insurers in the state. Young adults are the age group least likely to have health coverage, partly because they have the lowest rate of access to employer-based insurance. Yet nearly half of uninsured young adults report problems paying medical bills. “Unfortunately, for too many young people, cost is a barrier to accessing quality healthcare,” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. “We are proud to host this event to highlight the positive impact the Young Adult Subsidy Program has had on thousands of young people in Maryland, including right here in Howard County. We need to make sure this vital program is extended so that more of our young people have access to affordable healthcare insurance to help them live healthier, happier lives.” “I am very pleased to join County Executive Ball in urging the Maryland General Assembly to extend this worthwhile program,” said Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman. “Young people all across Maryland, including in Anne Arundel County, benefit greatly from it.” “When more young adults purchase health coverage, it is good for everybody because it helps stabilize health insurance premiums for all other age groups purchasing coverage through the state’s online insurance marketplace,” said Senator Clarence Lam, the lead sponsor of the 2025 legislation. “We will make this a priority to extend the program in the next legislative session.” “Many young adults lack access to health insurance in their workplace or they simply cannot afford to buy it on the state’s online insurance marketplace. This program has proven that we can help this group of young people,” said Del. Kenneth Kerr, the lead House sponsor of the legislation. “We at the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange are very happy with how well this program is working,” said Michele Eberle, the executive director of the Exchange. “We strongly support continuing it as long as possible to help those on the program as well as all of us by bringing more people into the health insurance market which reduces upward pressure on our premiums.” “This program has been an amazing success, helping tens of thousands of young adults get affordable health insurance, and we must act to keep it in place,” said Vincent DeMarco, president of the Maryland Health Care For All Coalition, which has led advocacy efforts to enact the program. “Young adults often struggle to obtain health insurance on their own, and this program is giving them peace of mind and helping them stay healthy.” ### |
Read more:
Baltimore Sun: Health advocates call for extension of insurance subsidy that covers 67,000 young adults
Maryland Matters: Lawmakers call to extend subsidy that reduces health care costs for young adults
Maryland Daily Record: Advocates to call for extending MD health insurance subsidy for young adults
WMDT TV Salisbury: Advocates call for extension to MDs young adult health care subsidy program
WYPR-FM Baltimore: Maryland lawmakers want to extend health care subsidies for young people
WFMD-Frederick radio: MD legislators expected to take up a bill extending a subsidy program for young adults to buy health insurance
