Obama admin: 2.5M young adults gain coverage

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FILE - In this Nov. 30, 2011, file photo, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius participates in an roundtable discussion on health information technology and job creation at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland. The Obama administration says the number of young adults going without medical coverage has shrunk by 2.5 million since the new health care law took effect. A new analysis to be released Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011, finds the drop is two-and-half times larger than indicated by government and private estimates from earlier this year. The health care overhaul allows young adults to stay on a parent’s plan until they turn 26. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File) FILE - In this Nov. 30, 2011, file photo, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius participates in an roundtable discussion on health information technology and job creation at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland. The Obama administration says the number of young adults going without medical coverage has shrunk by 2.5 million since the new health care law took effect. A new analysis to be released Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011, finds the drop is two-and-half times larger than indicated by government and private estimates from earlier this year. The health care overhaul allows young adults to stay on a parent’s plan until they turn 26. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)eval("var currentItemd57851005a80479aaeeb90a12c70b9ff = 1;");eval("var nextd57851005a80479aaeeb90a12c70b9ff = 0;");eval("var previousd57851005a80479aaeeb90a12c70b9ff = 0;"); WASHINGTON (AP) — Young adults trying to get traction in a tough economy are getting a welcome assist: the new federal health care law has markedly improved their access to health insurance.

The number of young Americans ages 19-25 lacking health insurance has shrunk by 2.5 million since President Barack Obama's health care overhaul took effect, the administration announced in an analysis released Wednesday.

That drop is 2½ times as large as the decline indicated by previous government and private estimates from earlier this year, which showed about 1 million had gained coverage.

The improvement comes even as the uninsured rate stayed basically stuck for those a little older, ages 26-35.

Under the health care overhaul, adult children can stay on a parent's plan until they turn 26, a provision that has proven popular in an otherwise divisive law.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the numbers show the law is making a big difference for families with adult children.

"Many of them gained coverage earlier this spring, meaning the law was there for young people as they graduated from college or high school and began their careers," she said.

Administration officials said there are a couple of reasons for the better-than-expected result.

First, there is more data available now than earlier this year. Secondly, analysts are slicing the numbers more precisely than the government usually does.

The health care law's main push to cover the uninsured doesn't come until 2014. But the young adults' provision took effect last fall, and most workplace health plans started carrying it out Jan. 1. Since then, families have flocked to sign up adult children making the transition to work in a challenging environment.

The overall fate of Obama's law remains uncertain, with the Supreme Court scheduled to hear a constitutional challenge next year, and Republican presidential candidates vowing to repeal it. But this provision seems to have gotten a seal of approval from consumers.

"The increase in coverage among 19- to 25-year-olds can be directly attributed to the Affordable Care Act's new dependent coverage provision," said the HHS analysis.

Using unpublished quarterly statistics from the government's ongoing National Health Interview Survey, analysts in Sebelius' policy office determined that nearly 36 percent of those age 19-25 were uninsured in the third calendar quarter of 2010, before the law's provision took effect.

That translates to more than 10.5 million people.

By the second calendar quarter of 2011, the proportion of uninsured young adults had dropped to a little over 27 percent, or about 8 million people.

The difference — nearly 2.5 million getting coverage — can only be the result of the health care law, administration officials said, because the number covered by public programs like Medicaid went down slightly.

Overall, nearly 30 million Americans are ages 19 to 25.

"From September 2010 to June 2011, coverage rose only among those adults affect by the policy," said the HHS report.

The National Center for Health Statistics has documented a broadly similar trend in its official publications, only it's not nearly as dramatic.

Administration officials said those statistics did not focus on the change from calendar quarter to calendar quarter, as does the new HHS report. Instead, they pool data over longer time periods, and that has the effect of diluting the perceived impact of the law, officials said.

Traditionally, young adults have been more likely to be uninsured than any other age group.

Some are making the switch from school to work. Others are holding down low-wage jobs that don't usually come with health care. And some — termed the "invincibles" — pass up job-based health insurance because they don't think they'll use it and would rather get extra money in their paychecks.

Other early coverage expansions in the health care law have not worked as well, including a special program for people with health problems turned away by private insurers. Many applicants found the premiums unaffordable.

Young adults are less expensive to cover than people who are middle-aged, and many companies have spread the extra premiums among their workers. Benefits consultant Delloite LLP has projected additional health plan costs in the range of 1 percent to 2 percent for covering young adults.

Before the health care overhaul, families with adult children faced a hodgepodge of policies. Some health plans only covered older children while they were full-time students. Others applied an age cutoff.

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Going veggie young: Parents don't worry

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It's important to have enough variety in your diet that you can be well-nourished, experts say.Parents worry whether vegetarian or vegan children will receive adequate nutrition Such diets may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseasesNumber of vegetarians in the United States is expected to increase over the next decade

(CNN) -- Niki Gianni was 11 or 12 when she found a video on YouTube called "Meet Your Meat." Saddened and disgusted by the footage from a slaughterhouse, the Chicago girl announced she was no longer going to eat meat. Her parents were less than thrilled.

"When she first said she wanted to be a vegetarian, we were just looking at each other and we said, 'We can't be switching meals for you. You are not going to get your protein.' We were not educated in the health benefits," said Gianni's mother, Julie Gianni.

While many parents worry whether their vegetarian or vegan children will receive adequate nutrition for their growing bodies, the American Dietetic Association says such diets, as long as they are well-planned, are appropriate for all phases of life, including childhood and adolescence. "Appropriately planned" vegetarian or vegan diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases, the dietetic association says.

"You can really feel the difference when you are eating something from the ground and something from a factory," said Niki Gianni, an animal activist who became a vegan shortly after embracing the vegetarian lifestyle.

10-year-old: Why I became vegetarian in first grade

Now an 18-year-old college freshman, Niki Gianni said her eating habits expanded her palate and turned her away from processed foods. Her food choices also influenced her family: Her mother is now a vegan and her father and sister are vegetarians.

The number of vegetarians in the United States is expected to increase over the next decade, according to the dietetic association. A vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease, and vegetarians also appear to have lower overall cancer rates, lower blood pressure and lower rates of hypertension than nonvegetarians.

Vegetarianism is more than just not eating meat, said Roberta Anding, a registered dietitian at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital and a spokesperson for the dietetic association.

"It's really embracing more of that plant-based lifestyle and having enough variety in your diet that you can be well-nourished," Anding said. "You can be unbelievably well-nourished on a vegetarian diet if you choose your foods wisely and appropriately."

Lilian Cheung, director of health promotion and communication at Harvard School of Public Health's Department of Nutrition, agreed. Teens who abstain from eating animal-based foods but who take in refined and sugary foods such as French fries and sodas are not doing themselves any favors, she said.

Eating a variety of vegetables and fruits of all colors and eating the purest form possible is vital in these diets, Cheung said. Beans, legumes, nuts, tofu and seeds all are excellent protein sources, said Cheung, who said veganism and vegetarianism are becoming more mainstream among young people.

"I think the reason why veganism is getting more and more popular is there are more celebrities like President Clinton," embracing the lifestyle, said Cheung, editorial director of the department's nutrition website, The Nutrition Source.

Niki, left, and Julie Gianni are vegans and actively participate in animal rights events.

Julie and Niki Gianni said they have encountered a lot of people who had misconceptions about vegans and vegetarians, including that they are weak or that they are not getting the vitamins and minerals they need.

"(People) asked, 'How are you going to get your protein?' They just look at you like you are abusing your children," Julie Gianni said.

In the beginning, the Giannis didn't quite know what to serve their daughter. Niki Gianni ate a lot of vegetarian burger patties and chicken nuggets.

"I think this happens to a lot of vegetarians: I doubled up on eating eggs and dairy because my parents weren't sure what to feed their 12-year-old who didn't eat meat," she said.

Now, Julie Gianni makes her own goulash and noodles and frequently cooks with seitan, a high-protein meat substitute made from wheat. Niki Gianni said she has yet to find a vegetable she won't eat. She loves portobello mushroom and artichoke sandwiches, and dines in the vegan cafeteria at college.

Niki Gianni and her family have done copious research about their lifestyles, becoming educated about meeting their nutritional needs through an array of fresh foods.

Such vigilance and education is vital, experts said, because adolescence is characterized by the second and final period of rapid growth and development. Those growing bodies need nutrients, including calcium, vitamin D, B12 and iron.

Teens or children who are vegetarian and who then also decide to give up dairy products need to find an alternate source of calcium, Anding said. While calcium can be found in almonds and in green leafy vegetables, the amount is small.

Vitamin B12, found in animal protein, can become a concern if dairy or eggs leave the diet, Anding said. Vitamin B12 deficiencies manifest over time. The vitamin, which can be found in fortified cereals, is stored in the liver and when levels are low, the body withdraws the vitamin from the organ.

"Sooner or later you are going to run out," Anding said. "It's not going to be instant."

Anding said she treated four young women with vitamin B12 deficiencies that showed up about a year into their veganism.

"You can end up with permanent cognitive issues. I applaud you for looking at this from an environmental perspective but I don't want to save the planet and sacrifice you," she said. "You have to take a B12 supplement."

To aid iron intake, Anding recommends using a cast iron skillet for cooking; some of the iron will leach into the food. Vitamin and mineral supplements also provide a way to get adequate iron and other essential nutrients, she said.

"Clearly, there are some big benefits of a plant-based diet, so I'm not objecting to that. I think the more restrictive the diet becomes, the more exclusive the diet becomes, the harder it becomes for the average person to execute those diet changes," she said.

Heather Lazaro, whose family lives in Orange County in Southern California, said she was concerned when her daughter, then 11, came home from school and announced she didn't want to eat meat.

"We didn't think it was going to last," said Lazaro, whose daughter Alyssa is now 16. "To this day, I always worry if she is getting the right amount of protein and vitamins" and nutrition she needs, she said.

Alyssa Lazaro is a pescatarian; she doesn't eat land animals or birds but eats fish. She said she just wanted to try giving up meat. In addition to consuming plenty of vegetables and fruit, she eats soy products, protein shakes and eggs. She said she feels better staying away from meat.

"Whenever I eat vegetables I just feel a little bit more energetic and ready to go through life with a big smile on my face," the high school student said.

Anding and Cheung said young people and their parents should get information from reputable websites such as eatright.org, kidseatright.org and thenutritionsource.org.

Vegetarians and vegans have to be willing to explore new foods and Anding said she would discourage such lifestyles for children who like only a handful of foods, including meat.

Anding, who for decades has worked with children and teens with eating disorders, said parents also need to make sure their children are eating. She has seen veganism used to mask those disorders.

"It's really unfortunate because it is taking a lifestyle that is unbelievably healthy and using it to perpetuate an eating disorder," she said.

Cheung recommends that parents talk to their children's pediatrician about a vitamin supplement and have them see a registered dietician so they have a good overview of what they should be eating every day.

"It can be a very unhealthy diet if the choices are unhealthy," she said. "But it is very possible to have a very healthful vegan diet as well if you choose wisely.

"We just need to get more literate, get more knowledge. I don't think we should basically just categorize one way or another," Cheung said. "It just depends on what foods are chosen."

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Going veggie young: Parents don't worry

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It's important to have enough variety in your diet that you can be well-nourished, experts say.Parents worry whether vegetarian or vegan children will receive adequate nutrition Such diets may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseasesNumber of vegetarians in the United States is expected to increase over the next decade

(CNN) -- Niki Gianni was 11 or 12 when she found a video on YouTube called "Meet Your Meat." Saddened and disgusted by the footage from a slaughterhouse, the Chicago girl announced she was no longer going to eat meat. Her parents were less than thrilled.

"When she first said she wanted to be a vegetarian, we were just looking at each other and we said, 'We can't be switching meals for you. You are not going to get your protein.' We were not educated in the health benefits," said Gianni's mother, Julie Gianni.

While many parents worry whether their vegetarian or vegan children will receive adequate nutrition for their growing bodies, the American Dietetic Association says such diets, as long as they are well-planned, are appropriate for all phases of life, including childhood and adolescence. "Appropriately planned" vegetarian or vegan diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases, the dietetic association says.

"You can really feel the difference when you are eating something from the ground and something from a factory," said Niki Gianni, an animal activist who became a vegan shortly after embracing the vegetarian lifestyle.

10-year-old: Why I became vegetarian in first grade

Now an 18-year-old college freshman, Niki Gianni said her eating habits expanded her palate and turned her away from processed foods. Her food choices also influenced her family: Her mother is now a vegan and her father and sister are vegetarians.

The number of vegetarians in the United States is expected to increase over the next decade, according to the dietetic association. A vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease, and vegetarians also appear to have lower overall cancer rates, lower blood pressure and lower rates of hypertension than nonvegetarians.

Vegetarianism is more than just not eating meat, said Roberta Anding, a registered dietitian at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital and a spokesperson for the dietetic association.

"It's really embracing more of that plant-based lifestyle and having enough variety in your diet that you can be well-nourished," Anding said. "You can be unbelievably well-nourished on a vegetarian diet if you choose your foods wisely and appropriately."

Lilian Cheung, director of health promotion and communication at Harvard School of Public Health's Department of Nutrition, agreed. Teens who abstain from eating animal-based foods but who take in refined and sugary foods such as French fries and sodas are not doing themselves any favors, she said.

Eating a variety of vegetables and fruits of all colors and eating the purest form possible is vital in these diets, Cheung said. Beans, legumes, nuts, tofu and seeds all are excellent protein sources, said Cheung, who said veganism and vegetarianism are becoming more mainstream among young people.

"I think the reason why veganism is getting more and more popular is there are more celebrities like President Clinton," embracing the lifestyle, said Cheung, editorial director of the department's nutrition website, The Nutrition Source.

Niki, left, and Julie Gianni are vegans and actively participate in animal rights events.

Julie and Niki Gianni said they have encountered a lot of people who had misconceptions about vegans and vegetarians, including that they are weak or that they are not getting the vitamins and minerals they need.

"(People) asked, 'How are you going to get your protein?' They just look at you like you are abusing your children," Julie Gianni said.

In the beginning, the Giannis didn't quite know what to serve their daughter. Niki Gianni ate a lot of vegetarian burger patties and chicken nuggets.

"I think this happens to a lot of vegetarians: I doubled up on eating eggs and dairy because my parents weren't sure what to feed their 12-year-old who didn't eat meat," she said.

Now, Julie Gianni makes her own goulash and noodles and frequently cooks with seitan, a high-protein meat substitute made from wheat. Niki Gianni said she has yet to find a vegetable she won't eat. She loves portobello mushroom and artichoke sandwiches, and dines in the vegan cafeteria at college.

Niki Gianni and her family have done copious research about their lifestyles, becoming educated about meeting their nutritional needs through an array of fresh foods.

Such vigilance and education is vital, experts said, because adolescence is characterized by the second and final period of rapid growth and development. Those growing bodies need nutrients, including calcium, vitamin D, B12 and iron.

Teens or children who are vegetarian and who then also decide to give up dairy products need to find an alternate source of calcium, Anding said. While calcium can be found in almonds and in green leafy vegetables, the amount is small.

Vitamin B12, found in animal protein, can become a concern if dairy or eggs leave the diet, Anding said. Vitamin B12 deficiencies manifest over time. The vitamin, which can be found in fortified cereals, is stored in the liver and when levels are low, the body withdraws the vitamin from the organ.

"Sooner or later you are going to run out," Anding said. "It's not going to be instant."

Anding said she treated four young women with vitamin B12 deficiencies that showed up about a year into their veganism.

"You can end up with permanent cognitive issues. I applaud you for looking at this from an environmental perspective but I don't want to save the planet and sacrifice you," she said. "You have to take a B12 supplement."

To aid iron intake, Anding recommends using a cast iron skillet for cooking; some of the iron will leach into the food. Vitamin and mineral supplements also provide a way to get adequate iron and other essential nutrients, she said.

"Clearly, there are some big benefits of a plant-based diet, so I'm not objecting to that. I think the more restrictive the diet becomes, the more exclusive the diet becomes, the harder it becomes for the average person to execute those diet changes," she said.

Heather Lazaro, whose family lives in Orange County in Southern California, said she was concerned when her daughter, then 11, came home from school and announced she didn't want to eat meat.

"We didn't think it was going to last," said Lazaro, whose daughter Alyssa is now 16. "To this day, I always worry if she is getting the right amount of protein and vitamins" and nutrition she needs, she said.

Alyssa Lazaro is a pescatarian; she doesn't eat land animals or birds but eats fish. She said she just wanted to try giving up meat. In addition to consuming plenty of vegetables and fruit, she eats soy products, protein shakes and eggs. She said she feels better staying away from meat.

"Whenever I eat vegetables I just feel a little bit more energetic and ready to go through life with a big smile on my face," the high school student said.

Anding and Cheung said young people and their parents should get information from reputable websites such as eatright.org, kidseatright.org and thenutritionsource.org.

Vegetarians and vegans have to be willing to explore new foods and Anding said she would discourage such lifestyles for children who like only a handful of foods, including meat.

Anding, who for decades has worked with children and teens with eating disorders, said parents also need to make sure their children are eating. She has seen veganism used to mask those disorders.

"It's really unfortunate because it is taking a lifestyle that is unbelievably healthy and using it to perpetuate an eating disorder," she said.

Cheung recommends that parents talk to their children's pediatrician about a vitamin supplement and have them see a registered dietician so they have a good overview of what they should be eating every day.

"It can be a very unhealthy diet if the choices are unhealthy," she said. "But it is very possible to have a very healthful vegan diet as well if you choose wisely.

"We just need to get more literate, get more knowledge. I don't think we should basically just categorize one way or another," Cheung said. "It just depends on what foods are chosen."

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Exercise keeping Ida, 105, young

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20 October 2011 Last updated at 12:21 GMT Ida Lawrence: "It's really important to keep active" A woman aged 105 puts her good health down to taking part in regular exercise and "keeping her heart pumping a bit".

Ida Lawrence from Buckley, Flintshire, attends keep fit classes at a local community centre.

She gave up running when she was a "bit younger" and now prefers to work out without going "too over the top".

Mrs Lawrence says: "The trouble is I'm always in a hurry and never seem to have enough time for everything so I have to keep myself fit."

Born in Bournemouth in August 1906, Mrs Lawrence moved to Buckley in 1970 to be close to her daughter.

She has been described as an inspiration to other other members of the Low Impact Functional Training (LIFT) class at Mynydd Isa Community Centre.

'Important'

It is one of several held across Flintshire and Wrexham by volunteers from Age Concern North East Wales.

Chief executive Margaret Hanson said: "Ida Lawrence is inspirational and it just goes to show you are never too old to join in or do a little bit to help keep healthy and fit."

Mrs Lawrence said: "It's really important to stay fit and healthy and to keep active.

"Exercise is very important and of course you have to stay away from smoking and too much food and drink.

"I really enjoy the fitness sessions and you don't have to do too much if you don't want to.

"It's good to get your heart pumping a bit without going too over the top."

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Stiff ankles tied to young athletes' painful knees

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By Adam Marcus

New York | Fri Oct 7, 2011 1:14pm EDT

New York (Reuters Health) - Young basketball and volleyball players' chances of developing a painful condition called jumper's knee may hinge on how far they can flex their ankles, say Swedish researchers.

Teenagers at a junior elite basketball camp who were less able to flex their feet upward at the start of the study had up to a 30 percent risk of developing patellar tendinopathy -- pain below the kneecap -- over the next year, compared to a two percent risk in young players with more flexible ankles.

The notion that ankle stiffness might lead to knee pain "makes perfect sense" physiologically, said Dr. Rachel Coel, co-director of the sports medicine program at Children's Hospital Colorado, in Aurora, who was not involved in the study. "If we don't have the right flexibility, we are changing the mechanics we're supposed to have," she told Reuters Health.

Ludvig Backman and his colleagues at Umea University in Sweden, who published the new findings in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, conclude that identifying kids at risk at the beginning of a sports season and giving them preventive stretching exercises could save many young knees from damage.

So-called jumper's knee is poorly understood, but believed to stem from damage to the tendon connecting the kneecap to the shin. The condition is most common in sports like volleyball and basketball, where jumping is a frequent part of the play.

The study included 75 Swedish junior elite basketball players, both girls and boys, ages 14 to 20, who were attending a training camp. At the outset, the researchers measured each player's range of dorsiflexion -- the ability to flex the foot toward the shin. Mobility in that direction basically reflects the stiffness of calf muscles and Achilles tendons. A year later, they evaluated the players for knee pain.

A dozen athletes (16 percent) developed jumper's knee within the year; eight were male and four were female, although the sex difference was not statistically meaningful. Players who developed knee problems were found to have about five degrees less ankle mobility than those who did not experience the condition.

In players whose dorsiflexion range was under 36.5 degrees, the risk of developing jumper's knee was between 18.5 and 29.4 percent. Those with flexibility of more than 36.5 degrees had a risk of just 1.8 to 2.1 percent.

Within the ranges, researchers found that players' non-dominant legs tended to have lower degrees of dorsiflexion and significantly higher risks of jumper's knee. A history of two or more ankle sprains was also linked to poorer dorsiflexion in the affected ankle.

Inflexible ankles are not a permanent curse, however. Stretching the calf muscles and mobility training of the ankle itself can improve the joint's range of motion, as can physical therapy, according to the researchers.

Screening young athletes who can't flex their ankles as much as 36.5 degrees at the start of a sports season and working to make the joint more mobile could spare them from knee pain in the future, they say.

Doctors typically treat jumper's knee with rest and physical therapy, as well as anti-inflammatory drugs and, for more severe cases, injections of corticosteroids. Surgery is a last resort of people with persistent problems.

"The nice thing about this study is that this is a potentially fixable problem," agreed Dr. C. David Geier, Jr., director of sports medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, in Charleston, and a spokesman for the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. "This would be a really straightforward thing to address and might prevent some cases of patellar tendinopathy."

Source: bit.ly/pOWJLN American Journal of Sports Medicine, online September 14, 2011.

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Pinky promise may save young dad's life

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"I'm going all the way with [Autumn] by my side and our pinky fingers held high in the air," Justin Boyles said.Justin Boyles learned he had type 2 diabetes in March 2011Since making a promise to his daughter, Boyles has lost more than 65 poundsBoyles raised $7,500 for the American Diabetes Association's "Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes"

Duncan, Oklahoma (CNN) -- Justin Boyles lay in bed, exhausted and depressed. His 385-pound body sank into the mattress with each breath he took. I have diabetes, he thought in disbelief.

His 6-year-old daughter, Autumn, crawled on top of the king-sized comforter and stared at him with bright blue eyes.

"Daddy, will you get up and play?"

"No, baby, I'm tired."

She sat back to think. Her mom had tried to explain why Justin was so sad, but Autumn didn't really understand diabetes or its dangerous implications.

"Daddy, are you ever going to be healthy enough to ride a bike with me?"

The question broke Justin's heart. Tears started to roll down his face. "Yes, very soon. I promise," he said.

"Do you pinky promise?" she asked, holding out her tiny finger.

Justin looped his last digit around hers and made the decision to change his life.

All kinds of excuses

Shanon and Justin Boyles were high school sweethearts. The first time they hung out at 16, Justin took Shanon to church. He was smart, polite and made her laugh -- three qualities that helped Shanon overlook his size.

"As long as I can remember, I've been overweight," Justin says. "I remember as a child coming home after school and having a stack of cookies and a giant glass of milk every day."

In high school Justin weighed close to 250 pounds; he was considered obese even at 6 feet 1. As an adult he lived on fast food and spent most of his nights as a security guard sitting down. He'd eat dinner at work -- frozen burritos, burgers and fries -- then stop off at Taco Bell on the way home for the advertised fourth meal.

Shanon and Autumn Boyles wear their "Do you pinky promise?" shirts at the "Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes."

"I was really kind of in my own little hole, and I didn't want to get out or do anything," he says.

Shanon became worried. Any time their extended family tried to get together for a birthday party or holiday, Justin refused to go.

"He would have all kinds of excuses," she says. "He was really depressed. He was down on himself real bad."

Most concerning was his lack of time with Autumn, who got upset when her father wouldn't play outside.

"She loves him. He's her hero," Shanon says. "I [knew] why he was feeling that way... but there was nothing I could do about it."

Small steps for a big change

Since his diagnosis with type 2 diabetes in March -- and his pinky promise to Autumn -- Justin has lost more than 65 pounds. He walks around his neighborhood whenever he can and makes sure to do the little things like taking the stairs and returning his shopping cart. The family is also eating better with more vegetables, leaner meats and less sugar. For example, at dinner Justin usually eats a spinach leaf salad with tuna or baked chicken with broccoli. Shanon joins in; she's lost 20 pounds in less than six months on the new diet.

The family recently took a trip to the Oklahoma State Fair and walked around all day, something they never would have done last year.

"I no longer lay in bed thinking that my weight is just too much to overcome," Justin says. "I enjoy being out with family and friends and having a good time."

He only weighs in once a month to avoid becoming obsessed with the numbers on the scale. He hopes to get down to 200 pounds, a weight at which his doctor said he would probably be able to go off his medications.

"I just want him to be healthy and happy. I don't care what weight he's at," Shanon says.

The couple raised more than $7,500 for the American Diabetes Association's "Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes" in Oklahoma City on September 14. Their team wore matching black T-shirts with a new slogan: "Do you pinky promise?"

On his website Justin has included a section where he asks readers to make their own promises -- to themselves or to their family -- to get healthy.

"[Autumn] taught me that you can do anything you put your mind to," he says. "It doesn't take a big giant step.It takes doing a little something."

Justin still has a long way to go in his weight loss journey. But rest assured that he'll keep going -- you just don't break a pinky promise, especially one made to your little girl.

Got a weight loss story to share? Submit it on iReport.com

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Million young adults get health coverage under law

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WASHINGTON (AP) — At least one part of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul has proven popular. With the economy sputtering, the number of young adults covered by health insurance grew by about a million as families flocked to take advantage of a new benefit in the law.

Two surveys released Wednesday — one by the government, another by Gallup — found significantly fewer young adults going without coverage even as the overall number of uninsured remained high.

The government's National Center for Health Statistics found that the number of uninsured people ages 19-25 dropped from 10 million last year to 9.1 million in the first three months of this year, a sharp decline over such a brief period.

New data from an ongoing Gallup survey found that the share of adults 18-25 without coverage dropped from 28 percent last fall to 24.2 percent by this summer. That drop translates to roughly 1 million or more young adults gaining coverage.

The new health care law allows young adults to remain on their parents' health plans until they turn 26. Previously, families faced a hodgepodge of policies. Some health plans covered only adult children while they were full-time students. Others applied an age cutoff.

Elizabeth Wilson, an aspiring opera singer who lives near Indianapolis, said her mother's plan dropped her in the midst of a medical crisis because she had turned 23. At the time, Wilson was in the hospital under treatment for an inflammation of the pancreas. Because of the overhaul, she has been able to get back on the policy.

"It means I don't have to spend every penny I make to get health care," said Wilson, now 24. "I can use some of it to further my studies — or buy food."

The two surveys were welcome news for the administration, which is trying to fight off attempts to repeal the law — which some GOP lawmakers and candidates call "Obamacare" — or to overturn it in court.

"It's very disappointing to hear some people in Congress talk about repealing the law and taking away this security," said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Repealing Obama's law, which Congress approved in March 2010, would end the requirement that health plans cover young adults up to age 26. But some GOP lawmakers say they would include such a mandate in replacement legislation to follow.

While the bleak economy has made it hard for young people to get jobs, fewer are being forced to go without medical care, defying an overall trend of rising numbers of working-age Americans who lack coverage.

"While we did not see a drop-off in any other age group, we did see a drop in this age group," said Frank Newport, Gallup's polling director.

Gallup found that the share of 26- to 64-year-olds uninsured rose from 18.1 percent in the fall of last year to 19.9 percent this summer.

Public opinion remains divided about Obama's overhaul, but coverage for young adults has proven to be a popular and relatively low-cost benefit in these days of prolonged school-to-work transitions. The provision technically took effect last fall but wasn't implemented by most workplace health plans until Jan. 1.

"The big change started in the last quarter of 2010 and continued further in the first two quarters of this year," said Newport. "Bingo, it started going down," he said of the percentage of uninsured young adults.

Those young Americans are still more likely to be uninsured than any other age group.

Some are making the switch from school to work. Others are in low-wage jobs that don't usually offer coverage. And some in this group — sometimes termed the "invincibles"— pass up workplace health insurance because they don't think they'll use it and would rather get a little extra in their paychecks.

The latest surveys are in line with other findings. Mercer, the benefits consulting firm, found a 2 percentage-point increase in workplace health plan enrollment as a result of extending coverage to young adults.

It's a less expensive group to cover than middle-aged or older adults, and many companies have spread the extra premiums among their workers. Delloite LLP, another major benefits consultant, projects additional costs for covering young adults in the range of 1-2 percent.

Other early coverage expansions in the health care law have not worked as well, including a special program for people with health problems turned away by insurers.

The law's main push to cover the uninsured isn't scheduled until 2014. At that time, more than 30 million people are expected to get coverage through a combination of expanding Medicaid and providing tax credits to make private insurance more affordable. And insurers will no longer be able to turn away people in poor health.

Gallup continuously surveys nearly 1,000 people a day. Its analysis includes 89,857 respondents interviewed between April 1 and June 30. The margin of error for the full sample is plus or minus 1 percentage point; it is higher for subgroups.

The government's National Health Interview Survey is one of the primary sources of information on the U.S. public, relying on detailed household interviews. The latest results are drawn from interviews with more than 20,000 people from January through March. Wednesday's report also found an uptick in public coverage for young adults, but officials said that increase was not statistically significant.

___

Associated Press writer Mike Stobbe in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Online:

Gallup survey: http://tinyurl.com/3dy4nrk

HHS report: http://tinyurl.com/3mvc7wg

Associated Press

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