Young and Uninsured, in Charts

Last week, the Census Bureau released some nice charts about the young and uninsured â€" that is, the folks that insurance companies are now falling over themselves to sign up because young people are cheap (and can be charged premiums higher than are actuarially fair in order to subsidize older people).

Here’s a chart showing that in 2012, adults age 19 to 34 years old had the highest uninsured rates of any other age group (26.9 percent):

Census Bureau

According to the bureau, there were 18 million uninsured 19- to 34-year-olds in 2012, who accounted for 40 percent of the total uninsured population under the age of 65. The uninsured rate has fallen in recent years for Americans age 19 to 25, however, thanks to a 2010 policy change that allows dependents to remain on their parents’ health insurance plan until their 26th birthday.

Census Bureau Percent uninsured, 2008-2012, based on American Community Survey data.

There’s huge variation around the country, with the uninsured rate of young adults ranging from about 7.8 percent in Massachusetts and the District of Columbia to 38.7 percent in Texas.

Census Bureau Map reflects uninsured rates for adults age 19 to 34 years old by state.

Of the largest metro areas in the country, the uninsured rate for younger Americans was lowest in Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass., and New Hampshire, at 7.9 percent, and was highest in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Fla., at 41 percent.