What’s in It for Them?

Jennifer Rubin - 11.10.2009 - 1:14 PM

Obama turned out a record number of young voters, which in turn lifted many Democrats in marginal districts into office. The Virginia 5th is a case in point where university students and young voters swarmed to the polls, lifting Tom Perriello into office. But what has Obama actually done for young voters?

Well the unemployment rate for them is sky-high. And the president is trying to foist a new requirement that even the young and healthy must buy not simply catastrophic coverage but super-duper Pelosi-approved coverage. And it will be more expensive for them as they subsidize older Americans:

The bill would limit how much insurers can vary premiums based on the age of the person buying the policy. The narrower the range, the lower the premiums for older people, a help to those who currently pay some of the highest rates for insurance and often need coverage the most. But such a limitation tends to raise premiums for younger folks, who are sometimes reluctant to buy coverage. In the House bill, the ratio can only be as much as 2 to 1, meaning older people could pay no more than twice what the youngest customers are charged. … A calculator on the Kaiser Family Foundation Web site gives a rough sense. It suggests that under the House’s 2-to-1 cap, a 20-year-old would pay $3,169 in annual premiums and a 60-year-old would pay $6,339 for comparable plans, if they both had incomes above the subsidy-eligible level. Under a bill passed by the Senate Finance Committee, which had a 4-to-1 age-rating ratio, the 20-year-old would pay $2,258 and the 60-year-old would pay $8,357.

And Republicans have figured this out as well:

“We are going to tell every young American who has decided that they don’t want to pay those premiums, they want to save up to get married or to buy a home, that, by golly, they are going to have to take insurance. And they are going to pay three to four times what they would under the current system because there is only a 2-to-1 ratio,” said Rep. Joe Barton (R., Texas) during the weekend House debate.

Maybe young people don’t mind being forced to buy insurance or pay greater amounts so that Pelosi can stifle the shouts from seniors (who are already upset about cuts in Medicare Advantage). But we’ll find out in 2010 when they go to the polls. Or not.

* * * * *

On behalf of all older Americans, I would like to offer a sincere THANK YOU to all you altruistic young liberals for so kindly subsidizing our health insurance costs. I know it imposes a financial hardship on you, particularly in these days when you may be unemployed or under-employed, but we're all in this together and we need to "share the wealth", right?