Options for expanding health insurance for people with chronic conditions

As policy makers explore options such as tax credits and expansion of public programs to cover uninsured Americans, working-age adults with chronic conditions merit special attention. Because their medical needs are likely to be greater than healthy people's, coverage expansion proposals that don't factor in the greater need of people with chronic conditions are likely to fall short of reaching this vulnerable group. Often perceived primarily as a problem of the elderly, chronic conditions are widespread among working-age adults, according to a new study by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC). This Issue Brief examines existing coverage sources for insured working-age people with chronic conditions and assesses how various coverage proposals might affect uninsured people with chronic conditions.