Millions could have no health insurance following coronavirus job losses, study finds

More than 5 million people could remain uninsured after losing their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study finds.

A Kaiser Family Foundation study found that 26.8 million people could lose the insurance they get from their employers. Seventy-nine percent could get insurance subsidized by the government through the Affordable Care Act or Medicaid, but 5.7 million won’t be eligible, leaving them uninsured, the study said.

People who lose insurance from their employer are eligible for coverage depending on family income, family status, and state of residence, according to the study.

Medicaid eligibility is determined by income, which factors in unemployment benefits and income from other family members. In some states that haven’t expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, only people with “very low incomes,” meaning below 50% of poverty, are typically eligible.

Undocumented immigrants and immigrants who have been in the U.S. for less than five years usually don’t qualify.

The study used the Affordable Care Act eligibility model to determine eligibility for workers before, during, and after the pandemic. The study also estimated the number of people who have lost employment using labor force changes determined by the March 2020 Current Population Survey.

The study found that more than 31 million people filed for unemployment between March 1 and May 2, but said that the “actual loss of jobs and income are likely even higher, as some people may be only marginally employed or may not have filed for benefits.”

At least 33 million first-time unemployment claims have been filed over the past two months, according to CNBC, citing the Labor Department.

The new stimulus package introduced by House Democrats proposes funding nine months of subsidies for COBRA, a health insurance program that allows furloughed or laid-off employees to stay on their plans after they’ve lost their jobs, Vox reported.

This story was originally published May 13, 2020 at 12:54 PM with the headline "Millions could have no health insurance following coronavirus job losses, study finds."