A new report finds 43 million Americans could lose their employer-sponsored health coverage under worst-case-scenario unemployment projections, as the country slides deeper into a recession.
The findings from the Urban Institute highlight the crippling effect the coronavirus pandemic is likely to have on families’ access to health care. Eliot Fishman, senior director of health policy at Families USA, said while some individuals may qualify for Medicaid, millions of those likely to become uninsured will face tough choices.
“For people that don’t have health insurance and then have to go to the emergency room or go to the hospital, they are at grave risk financially, but at the same time, they are at grave risk physically,” Fishman said. “And not just them, but their neighbors and their communities are at risk.”
Even before the pandemic, Tennessee had one of the largest uninsured populations in the nation. And in 2019, the number of residents without health insurance climbed to its highest level in 6 years, according to data from the University of Tennessee.
Photo: As the country slides deeper into a recession because of the coronavirus pandemic, more individuals may avoid hospitals or other emergency care due to lack of health insurance. (Adobe Stock)
