'Grow up': Republican on hot mic bashes 'stupid' young adults on parents' insurance plans

A Wisconsin Republican wants to take out a key piece of the Affordable Care Act.

Heartland Signal, via WCPT 820 AM, posted an excerpt of a hot mic conversation with Republican Senate hopeful Eric Hovde.

A woman's voice is heard on the audio asking about Donald Trump's efforts to repeal the law, also known as Obamacare. She says that she doesn't think allowing youth to stay on their parents' health insurance until age 26 helps them.

"It just makes them lazy," the woman says.

Read also: Republican states that refuse to expand Medicaid are making Obamacare great again

"It's a stupid idea," said Hovde. "All we're doing is delaying younger people's maturation."

"They need to grow up and move on, and stand on their own feet," he continued.

Hovde argued that the lowest health care costs come from people ages 21-26.

"What we should have is personalized health care that you buy when you're young and it stays with you your whole life," he suggested. He opposes the idea that employers pay for health insurance and that changes with each job.

He also argued it should be "based on your health."

One argument for the ACA model is that healthier people help keep costs low for older adults and people who are not as healthy.

"We've never had such a large percentage of working-age Americans sitting on the couch ... living with their parents. It's sad," said Hovde.

As of May, the unemployment rate was 4 percent. It has stayed at record lows, under 4 percent, for the past two years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said. Young people ages 20-24 have an unemployment rate of 7.9 percent.

The highest rate of unemployment among that demographic was during the pandemic in 2020. During Donald Trump's administration, data shows there were several months during the four-year period where the rate was also 7 percent or higher.

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