Guaranteed Healthcare

There has been a lot of spin lately around uninsured young adults being "free riders" on the health care system. The reality is that many young adults cannot afford the available plans because of outrageous premiums, or they may be working for nonprofits or other organizations that cannot afford to provide health insurance. Even worse, they may have a pre-existing condition that will prevent them from ever being eligible for private insurance as is stands today. According to this article, 87% of young adults think the government should spend money on health care even if a tax increase is required to pay for it. We are ready for a national, guaranteed health care system!

Center for American Progress May 6, 2008

The Progressive Generation: How
Young Adults Think About the Economy

By David Madland, Amanda
Logan

Young adults today—often known as
the Millennial Generation—have decidedly progressive views on economic issues,
possibly more so than any previous generation. According to the results of our
first-of-a-kind analysis of Millennials' views on the economy, a majority of 18-
to 29-year-olds (our definition of this generation) believe that the government
can be a force for good in the economy, and that increased investments in
healthcare, education, and other areas are necessary to ensure strong and
sustainable economic growth.

Our analysis also shows that
Millennials mostly reject the conservative viewpoint that government is the
problem, and that free markets always produce the best results for society.
Indeed, Millennials' views are more progressive than those of other age groups
today, and are more progressive than previous generations when they were
younger. This is especially true when compared to the conservative views of
Generation X—men and women who are now in their 30s and early 40s.

Millennials are more likely to
support universal health coverage than any age group in the 30 previous years
the question has been asked, with 57 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds saying that
health insurance should come from a government insurance plan.

Eighty-seven percent of
Millennials think the government should spend more money on health care even if
a tax increase is required to pay for it, the highest level of support in the
question's 20-year history.

Millennials are already the
largest generation in size, weighing in today at between 80 and 95 million
people, depending on exactly how the generations are defined. This exceeds the
number of baby boomers.

What's more, Millennials are a
large, politically active generation that cares deeply about economic issues.
Studies have found that they are, for example, more likely to express interest
in politics and elections, care a good deal who wins, try to influence others'
votes, and attend political meetings.

Research suggests that the
political opinions and voting patterns of young adults are likely to carry
forward throughout their lives. Political attachments attitudes formed in early
adulthood often continue to be held later in life.

This study did not attempt to
pinpoint the source of progressive opinions of Millennials, but our research
points to a number of possible reasons why in time they may well become known in
the future as the Progressive Generation. Young adults today face more
significant economic challenges than have other recent generations, among them
lower rates of healthcare coverage, worsening job prospects, and higher levels
of student loan debt—all legacies of the conservative policies that have
dominated in recent years.

The upshot: This Progressive
Generation could well be poised to transform the American political landscape in
2008 and beyond due to their embrace of decidedly progressive positions on
economic issues and the role of government in economy.

Don McCanne’s Comment: The
bad news is that Millennials face "lower rates of healthcare coverage, worsening
job prospects, and higher levels of student loan debt." The good news is that
they now "reject the conservative viewpoint that government is the problem, and
that free markets always produce the best results for society."

The Millennials recognize that
free market dynamics should be relegated to the role where they work well. More
importantly, the Millennials clearly understand that working together, through
our public institutions, we can use our great resources to make this nation a
far better place for everyone.

There really is hope for the
future.

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/05/progressive_generation.html

Full report:

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/05/pdf/progressive_generation.pdf