Caleb Kietzman, at age 23, landed in the emergency room after a hard night of partying. He said he had his stomach pumped because he drank too much alcohol. Total cost: $2,800.

Kietzman, now 27 and living in Springfield, Ill., had already received his associate’s degree and was taking time off from school before going back for his bachelor’s degree. Without insurance, a hospital bill was the last thing he wanted.

Statements went ignored, and the bill went unpaid. A collection agency took over and tacked on $700. Now, four years later, Kietzman is still paying for that night.

Kietzman’s worries echo those of many college students. Health insurance was important for 71.3 percent of the students surveyed by I-ELECT.

After graduating in May from the University of Illinois at Springfield with a degree in communications, Kietzman once again went uninsured.

After bouncing through three jobs in three months, he settled at TruGreen, a landscaping company, because it gave him health benefits. He now spends his days aerating lawns, running a machine that pulls small chunks of dirt out of the ground to allow air and water to get to the roots of plants.

Kietzman’s struggle is a similar one for many graduating from universities nationwide. Nearly 40 percent of new college graduates remain without health insurance for several months after graduation, according to a 2004 study done by the Commonwealth Fund, an independent New York health-research foundation.



“Most people get insurance from their employers,” said Sara Collins, Commonwealth Fund senior program officer. “Young Americans do not have very strong connections to the labor force right after graduation.”

The answer is tossed around politics and has become an issue in campaigns across the country. Some candidates say lawmakers could allow students to purchase insurance as a group rather than as individuals. Others have argued that small businesses should be able to buy as a group, allowing them to provide better insurance to employees. For Kietzman, though, his need for insurance was immediate. The bills hanging over his head were a wake-up call.

“I need to be responsible . . . and make wise decisions and find a career that’s going to offer some kind of benefits,” Kietzman said.