Until now, they had thought themselves to be “invincible” and “Invulnerable’. Young people in their twenties, who shun insurance because they felt this way or simply because expensive policies were out of reach. And this is how they manage their medical conditions.

Borrowing leftover prescription drugs from friends, attempting to self-diagnose ailments online, stretching their diabetes and asthma medicines for as long as possible and setting their own broken bones. But such do-it-yourself methods can have dangerous side-effects. Dr. Barbie Gatton, said she often sees young people who have taken the wrong antibiotics borrowed from friends. Furthermore, when medical emergencies do strike, these young people can rarely afford the bills that follow.

But there’s a big sense of urgency now, as Susan Sherry, deputy director of Community Catalyst observes. She described uninsured young adults as especially vulnerable. “People are losing their jobs, and a lot of jobs don’t carry health insurance. They’re new to the work force, they’ve been covered under their parents or school plans, and then they drop off the cliff.” Gov. David A. Paterson of New York has proposed allowing parents to claim these young adults as dependents for insurance purposes up to age 29, as more than two dozen other states have done in the past decade.

But until such legislation comes into place, young people with low paying jobs in high-priced cities will constantly ask this question to survive. “Do I pay health insurance or do I pay my rent and eat?”

Via : New York Times