Many young adults think health insurance is too expensive, and some think that they are just paying other people’s costs. That is short-sighted because younger people typically have less income and assets to fall back on. That makes adequate insurance all the more important, and health insurance is the foundation for all other insurance. Without your health, your income and assets are in jeopardy.  When a broken leg can cost $17,000 to $35,000 and keep you off the job for an extended period, medical debt can pile up fast. Even if you avoid medical debt, one broken leg is the cost of a car. If you break it twice that amounts to a down payment on a house. For a deeper dive: The National Safety Council aggregates cost data on a variety of injuries including those at home, at an employer, and from auto accidents. 

Many young people start in or prefer the Gig Economy and often start their own businesses. That makes it even more important to understand medical insurance and benefits. Self-employed people can turn to the individual ACA markets. Small business owners who need to offer health insurance to compete for talent can turn to SHOP, the small business option program under the ACA designed to help them.