14,000 Insured Lose Health Coverage Every Day

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2009/02/18/14000-insured-lose-health-coverage-every-day/

by Mike Hall, Feb 18, 2009



In December and January, as the nation’s unemployment rate shot upward—hitting 7.6 percent in January—the number of Americans without health insurance neared the 50-million mark.

Some 14,000 people a day, nearly 100,000 a week, lost their health insurance during that two-month span, according to a forthcoming analysis by James Kvaal and Ben Furnas, reports the Center for American Progress’ Wonk Room.

The growing number of working families that are losing their health care coverage highlights the need for swift action on comprehensive health care reform.

The economic recovery package signed yesterday by President Obama offers a health care lifeline for jobless workers. Under the bill, workers who lose their jobs are eligible for a 65 percent subsidy to cover their health care premiums under COBRA for nine months.

COBRA is the program that allows workers to maintain for 18 months the same coverage they had through their employer if they can pay the premiums. But those premiums often exceed $1,000 a month, a huge cost for an unemployed worker.

FULL story at link.

[Earth Bound Misfit]

1. K & R n/t