John Elflein
Research expert covering health and health care
As the millennial generation has entered its thirties, the topic of health has become increasingly important for America’s largest living generation. As of 2018, around 80 percent of millennials in the U.S. rated their general health condition as excellent or good. However, only 56 percent of millennials reported excellent or very good mental health, compared to 70 percent of Boomers. Furthermore, 44 percent of established millennials are concerned that their unhealthy habits will soon catch up with them.
Millennials have seen interesting changes in the U.S. health system, including the passing of the Affordable Care Act and repeal of many of its provisions, but remained generally satisfied with the quality of the health care system in 2018. However, as of that time, around 16 percent of millennials did not have health insurance, an increase from previous years. Common complaints about traditional health care among millennials include wait times and the speed of appointments, the cost of treatment, and transparency about costs. Nevertheless, almost 70 percent of millennials had visited a doctor's office in the past year as of 2018, while 20 percent had seen a mental health professional.
Common health conditions among millennials
Some of the most common health conditions millennials are diagnosed with include depression, being overweight, and migraines. Rates of major depression, high cholesterol, and hypertension among millennials all increased from 2014 to 2017, with around 8 per 100 population suffering from hypertension in 2017. As this generation continues to age, such health conditions will become more prevalent and the risk of serious illness more significant. However, while diseases of the heart and cancer account for around 15 percent of deaths among millennials aged 30 to 34 years, the largest share of these deaths are from accidents and suicide. In 2017, almost 41 percent of all deaths among millennials aged 30 to 34 were from accidents.Millennials have seen interesting changes in the U.S. health system, including the passing of the Affordable Care Act and repeal of many of its provisions, but remained generally satisfied with the quality of the health care system in 2018. However, as of that time, around 16 percent of millennials did not have health insurance, an increase from previous years. Common complaints about traditional health care among millennials include wait times and the speed of appointments, the cost of treatment, and transparency about costs. Nevertheless, almost 70 percent of millennials had visited a doctor's office in the past year as of 2018, while 20 percent had seen a mental health professional.
