Some North Texas young adults could qualify for zero-premium health insurance

With the exception of Tarrant, Dallas, Collin and Denton counties, uninsured young adults in North Texas who make under $25,000 a year likely can get in the federal health insurance program with no premium costs.

A new report by the Century Foundation, a public policy research institute, says 21- to 30-years-old have no- and low-cost options because premium subsidies are higher this year through the Affordable care Act.

In an analysis, the organization said it found that in 42 percent of the counties nationwide where coverage is provided through HealthCare.gov, some healthcare companies offer a zero-premium plan for 30-year-olds with an income of $25,000 or less.

According to their information, there are 115,644 uninsured people 19 to 34 years old in Tarrant County. Premiums for a 30-year-old making $25,000 or less can be as low as $96 a month in Tarrant County.

The enrollment deadline is Dec. 15 through HealthCare.gov.

“We do not yet know the percentage of people who have already enrolled that are young,” the Century Foundation said. “But if lessons from past open enrollment periods hold true, we can expect the number of young enrollees to surge in these final weeks of open enrollment.”

Nationwide, about 16 percent of young people are uninsured, down from 29 percent before the Affordable Care Act took effect, the report said.

The Washington Post reported recently that in November 2.28 million people signed up for health-care plans for 2018, which is a little ahead of the same time period a year ago.

This story was originally published December 6, 2017 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Some North Texas young adults could qualify for zero-premium health insurance."