Short- and Long-Term Health Consequences of Gaps in Health Insurance Coverage among Young Adults

Abstract

In cross-sectional data, gaps in health insurance coverage are associated with worse health and lower utilization of preventive services. The authors investigated if these associations persisted 2–6 years after disruption of insurance coverage in a cohort of young adults. Data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, a longitudinal cohort study of participants who were ages 13–17 years in 1997, were analyzed. Annual interview data from 2007 through 2017 were included and analyzed in 2021. Health outcomes (general self-rated health, annual preventive care use, and work-related health limitations) in each year were regressed on insurance coverage status, classified as: continuous private coverage, continuous public coverage, gap in coverage, or year-round lack of coverage. In a series of models, insurance coverage status was lagged by 2, 4, or 6 years to capture long-term associations with health outcomes. The analytic sample included 8197 young adults contributing 49,580 observations. Contemporaneous gaps in coverage were associated with 17% lower odds of reporting better self-rated health (odds ratio [OR]: 0.83, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.78, 0.88; P < 0.001), compared to year-round private insurance. This association remained similar when the insurance covariate was lagged 2, 4, or 6 years (eg, 6-year lagged OR: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.72, 0.93; P = 0.002). Results were similar for preventive care use and work-related health limitation. Among young adults, gaps in coverage are adversely associated with health status and health care utilization up to 6 years later. Policy efforts should target insurance continuity during this life course stage.