Haley Shaffer hopes to pin down a job with good benefits when she graduates from West Virginia State University in a couple of years.

But if she faces some lag time between graduation and her new job, Shaffer says she probably won't pay for short-term health insurance.

"I would probably chance it because when you get out of college and you don't have a job, expenses are really tight," she said. "You just hope you don't get sick."

Nearly one-third of young adults age 19 to 29 are uninsured in America, according to a June report from the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit group that focuses on health-care issues in the United States.

The report doesn't break down the rate of uninsured young adults by state. But one in five adults under 65 in West Virginia lack health insurance. About two-thirds of those live in a household where at least one person has a full-time job.

Like Shaffer, recent college or high school graduates without insurance have other priorities. Some new college graduates work on résumés and worry about how to buy gasoline and pay rent without a full-time job, said Ellen Laden, a spokeswoman with Golden Rule Insurance Co.

"So health insurance is not top of mind for them," she said.

Young adults are among the fastest-growing groups of the uninsured, Laden said. She says they often overlook how a serious illness or injury might affect their future.

"You don't even think that anything can happen to you," said Laden, who also noted that health-care debt is a growing cause of bankruptcy.

Roger Lambert, a recent graduate of WVU College of Law, said bankruptcy is a very real possibility for him if something were to happen.

Lambert, 26, was dropped from his parents' insurance when he graduated from high school. He hasn't had coverage since he started college seven years ago.

He said he is so heavily indebted with student loans there is no way he could afford to pay off additional medical bills if he were to become sick or injured.

"It's something I don't really think about," Lambert said.

Lambert says he has a job lined up with a Charleston law firm but won't receive benefits for an additional six months.

"The cost-benefit ratio isn't really there," he said.

"I've made it seven years without anything happening. I just have to make it six more months."

Nancy Andrews, an adult basic education teacher in Charleston, said health insurance is a concern for some of her students.

Some are looking to change jobs or careers and are used to lag time between health insurance plans.

Haley Shaffer hopes to pin down a job with good benefits when she graduates from West Virginia State University in a couple of years.

But if she faces some lag time between graduation and her new job, Shaffer says she probably won't pay for short-term health insurance.

"I would probably chance it because when you get out of college and you don't have a job, expenses are really tight," she said. "You just hope you don't get sick."

Nearly one-third of young adults age 19 to 29 are uninsured in America, according to a June report from the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit group that focuses on health-care issues in the United States.

The report doesn't break down the rate of uninsured young adults by state. But one in five adults under 65 in West Virginia lack health insurance. About two-thirds of those live in a household where at least one person has a full-time job.

Like Shaffer, recent college or high school graduates without insurance have other priorities. Some new college graduates work on résumés and worry about how to buy gasoline and pay rent without a full-time job, said Ellen Laden, a spokeswoman with Golden Rule Insurance Co.

"So health insurance is not top of mind for them," she said.

Young adults are among the fastest-growing groups of the uninsured, Laden said. She says they often overlook how a serious illness or injury might affect their future.

"You don't even think that anything can happen to you," said Laden, who also noted that health-care debt is a growing cause of bankruptcy.

Roger Lambert, a recent graduate of WVU College of Law, said bankruptcy is a very real possibility for him if something were to happen.

Lambert, 26, was dropped from his parents' insurance when he graduated from high school. He hasn't had coverage since he started college seven years ago.

He said he is so heavily indebted with student loans there is no way he could afford to pay off additional medical bills if he were to become sick or injured.

"It's something I don't really think about," Lambert said.

Lambert says he has a job lined up with a Charleston law firm but won't receive benefits for an additional six months.

"The cost-benefit ratio isn't really there," he said.

"I've made it seven years without anything happening. I just have to make it six more months."

Nancy Andrews, an adult basic education teacher in Charleston, said health insurance is a concern for some of her students.

Some are looking to change jobs or careers and are used to lag time between health insurance plans.

"When you're living on a limited income, you're not going to pay health insurance premiums," she said.

Andrews knows that some Medicaid patients also worry about losing that coverage if they find a job.

In some states, lawmakers are extending the amount of time children can stay on their parents' health insurance.

In 2007, West Virginia lawmakers extended the state's Public Employees Insurance Agency coverage to include dependents who are full-time college students up to the age of 25.

PEIA covers dependents up to the age of 19 if they are not in college.

Many insurance companies offer short-term health insurance that bridges the gap between two long-term health insurance plans.

Coverage is marketed to graduates and those parents who still help pay bills.   

Jonathan Husson, co-owner of Central Insurance Advisors in Kanawha City, offers short-term plans from several providers, which include Assurant Health, Celtic Insurance, Allied National and Golden Rule.

"They're all similar in pricing," he said.

Husson said it's pretty easy for healthy adults to qualify for short-term coverage. He knows of a $1.2 million bill that Assurant Health paid out on a single medical claim.

"That's a lot of money they paid out on that one claim," he said.

Laden's company, a division of UnitedHealthcare, offers health coverage between one and six months, with an option to reapply and secure a full year's worth of coverage.

Deductibles range from about $250 to $2,500, Laden said. The higher the deductible, the lower the premium. Someone with a $1,000 deductible might expect a $57 per-month premium, she said. A $250 deductible means a $120 monthly premium.

Catastrophic coverage kicks in when medical bills exceed $5,000, she said, and the insured person can drop a policy at any time without penalty.

Still, short-term insurance plans do not cover pre-existing conditions such as mental illness, diabetes, cancer and a slew of other health conditions.

Laden and Husson suggest state programs - like the high-risk insurance pool known as Access WV - for those patients with pre-existing conditions who've exhausted other health-care options.

Reach Davin White at davinwh...@wvgazette.com or 348-1254. Reach Veronica Nett at veroni...@wvgazette.com or 348-5113.