How exactly is keeping kids on their parent's insurance a bad idea? You do realize that they are getting a much better deal than on the open insurance market where they are an individual as opposed to getting covered by a company that negotiates it's insurance rates. Are you in favor of exchanges where a huge group can be set up to lower costs for everybody? If you don't understand what a ripoff trying to buy health insurance is individually, then you are oblivious.
Buying individual insurance is the cheapest route of all - if you are healthy - and particularly if you are young and healthy. The issue is about how best to to cover uninsured sicks who cannot afford to pay full freight to secure health insurance on their own, in the most cost effective way. Failing to separate the two issues clearly, and deal with them separately, is one of the reasons I suspect for so much of the confusion, and rather poor choices of options actually.
Yes, assuming insurance companies are offering much lower rates to youngs (and this is complicated by state insurance laws of course) they do get a decent deal. Of course not as good as they would be if they could get insurance through an employer, or a large public university or through their parents.
