More than 20 groups on the Web site Facebook are "dedicated to advocating expanded government health coverage" and "many of them have hundreds of members," with some who "explicitly tie the issue to the 2008 elections," The Politico reports. According to The Politico, the number and size of the groups are "unsurprising when you consider the surge in interest in health policy among young people, one-third of whom are uninsured."

A recent poll of young adults conducted by Rock the Vote found that health care ranked as their second most important election issue after the war in Iraq. Mollyann Brodie, a Kaiser Family Foundation vice president and director of the Foundation's public opinion and media research, said, "Health care is a topic that young people are engaged in and interested in this campaign."

Some question whether support for an expansion of health insurance will "translate into a decisive factor at the ballot box among young voters next year," according to The Politico. Michael Tanner, a health care expert at the Cato Institute, said, "If you're young, you may not have health insurance, so sure, why wouldn't you want it?" However, "what you'd actually find in practice is that it's not a particularly motivating issue," he said.

Many young adults "are fortunate to be so healthy that it isn't an issue for them," and the issue only "resonates after they experience a serious illness or injury," The Politico reports (Adler, The Politico, 11/26).
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