TeddyCare Watch-- Healthcare reform's biggest fans: young adults

By GottaLaff

We need to get this demographic off their collective asses. Time to get pro-active, TeddyCarers:

Adults 18 to 29 are the group most supportive of President Obama's plan to overhaul healthcare, according to a recent poll by SurveyUSA. They are also the age group that most supports creating a government-run health insurance option.

Young people account for 30% of the uninsured population, according to a report by the Commonwealth Fund, a health policy research foundation. They are least likely to be offered health insurance through employment benefits -- just 53% of working young adults are eligible for employer-based coverage. And since their incomes tend to be low, buying coverage on their own is usually too expensive.

So what's stopping them? One guess:

But the age group that heavily favored Obama in the election last fall has been silent and, some say, put off as it watches the healthcare debate.

Members of Congress and activist groups are urging young people to tune in. Last week, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) held a joint news conference with people who represent youth organizations, including Rock the Vote, a grass-roots group that has mobilized millions of young voters.

"The hyper-partisan spectacles of the town hall meetings, which got so much media attention, are just not an attractive venue for young people," said Thomas Bates, a Rock the Vote spokesman.

Problem: Hostility and negativity are effective. Solution: Outnumber them, out-vocalize them, and outsmart them.