Policy & Practice

Many Young Adults Uninsured

Approximately 5 million U.S. adults aged 19-23 years had no health insurance in 2006 for the entire year, and 30% of them said they didn't think it was worth the cost, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The AHRQ found that 46% of uninsured young adults worked full time and 26% worked part time. Only 19% of those who were uninsured throughout 2006 were full-time students, the agency said. About two-thirds of the young adults who went without insurance for the whole year never saw a doctor, the AHRQ found.