Health advocates call for extension of insurance subsidy that covers 67,000 young adults

Health advocates and elected officials are urging the Maryland General Assembly to extend health insurance subsidies to young adults during the upcoming legislative session.

The Young Adult Health Insurance Subsidy Pilot Program has subsidized premiums for 67,000 young adults enrolled in the state’s health exchange, making it easier for them to get coverage and afford plans. Adults ages 18 to 37, a group that that’s least likely to have health coverage, make up nearly a third of all private-plan enrollments on the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, an all-time high.

Legislation to be introduced in the upcoming  session would extend the program, funded through an assessment on insurers, beyond 2025. The Maryland Health Care For All! Coalition planned a news conference Tuesday with Howard and Anne Arundel county officials and legislators to call for support.

“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,” State Sen. Clarence Lam, a Howard County Democrat, said in an announcement Tuesday.

Lam plans to sponsor a bill in the Senate; while Delegate Kenneth Kerr, a Frederick County Democrat plans to sponsor a House bill.

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