Study: 5.4 Million Lost Health Insurance in 2020

Millions of working-age Americans have lost their health insurance coverage this year as the coronavirus pandemic cuts across the world.

According to data from Families USA, 5.4 million people who lost their jobs also lost health coverage between February and May. That figure represents the highest increase on record by 39%.

The previous high, according to the report, came in 2008 to 2009 when 3.9 million working-age adults lost their health insurance.

Other key figures in the data:

• 46% of non-elderly adults who lost their health coverage are in five states: California, Texas, Florida, New York, and North Carolina.
• Eight states have at least 20% of their working-age population uninsured: Texas (29%), Florida (25%), Oklahoma (24%), Georgia (23%), Mississippi (22%), Nevada (21%), North Carolina (20%), and South Carolina (20%).

The unemployment rate shot up to nearly 15% in April as the COVID-19 pandemic forced states to shut down large swaths of their economies. Some counts suggest that at least 40 million Americans have lost their jobs this year, although jobs are coming back — and the unemployment rate fell to 11.1% in June.

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