Young adults are not big fans of Obamacare

The options for people my age are grim

I don’t know about you, but as a young adult I’m not as disturbed as some Americans by the technical glitches delaying access to the Obamacare website. My lack of enthusiasm for signing up has to do with the unappealing options health care reform has presented my generation.

Sure, for adults under 26, Obamacare offers a key perk: They can stay on their parents’ plans. But for anyone 26 or older — a category I’ve just joined — the options are grim:

You can forgo health insurance and fork over 1% of your income to Uncle Sam as a penalty.

You can choose catastrophic-only coverage ( if you’re under 30), and be left in the lurch for most medical expenses below a certain high deductible — likely around $ 6,400.

Or you can buy health insurance, but there’s one catch. Instead of getting a good deal on insurance ( because young adults are less likely to need health care treatment), expect to pony up more now — because you’re subsidizing senior citizens.

WE PAY FOR ELDERLY

Thanks to a key provision, insurers must charge older Americans no more than three times what they charge healthy younger adults.

As a result, insurance costs are soaring for the young. In 45 states and Washington, D. C., young adults will find that their premiums have risen since Obamacare’s implementation, according to an October study by the conservative Heritage Foundation. And in most states, we’re not talking about the kind of slight increases that could be offset by forgoing a couple of lattes a month. Instead, these increases are enough to make young adults squeeze in another roommate — or maybe even move back in with Mom and Dad.

Obamacare requires better coverage than in the past, which also explains the higher premium. But young adults don’t need the added costs. In Arizona, the average monthly premium for a 27- year- old is expected to soar to $ 261.87 a month, up from $ 102. It’s the same story in other states, including Georgia ( where monthly premiums are increasing by $ 165), Illinois ($ 133), Michigan ($ 138) and Vermont ($ 216).

WE HAVE LOWER INCOMES

Sure, older adults may be unsympathetic to our dilemma. And a new study suggests young adults might not be such a bargain after all because of possible high mental health costs. But we have far less money than our older counterparts.

The average household headed by a 25- to 34- year- old had an average income of $ 65,041 in 2012, according to the Census Bureau. That’s significantly less than the average household income of 35- to 44- year- olds ($ 83,077), 45- to 54- year- olds ($ 87,318) and 55- to 64- year- olds ($ 80,967). Yes, many young adults could qualify for a subsidy. For example, if you are single and make less than $ 46,000 a year.

Still, young adults don’t have much going for them financially. Many college graduates are saddled with student loan debts. In 2013, student loan debts average $ 35,200, according to a May Fidelity survey. They’re facing a dismal job market, one where the unemployment rate has been over 7% since December 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

If young adults choose to voluntarily give their hard- earned money to their elders — whether grandparents, neighbors or friends — to help with medical costs, that’s their prerogative. But it should be their choice, not another burden forced on them by the Boomers and their ilk.