By B. Garrett and A. Gangopadhyaya, RWJF, May 4, 2020.
The Issue
An estimated 160 million people nationwide under the age of 65 had health insurance through their employer just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Thirty million workers filed for unemployment between March 15 and April 25, according to federal statistics. Rising unemployment is expected to significantly alter the health insurance coverage landscape, as millions who lose their jobs and their dependents enroll in Medicaid, purchase Marketplace coverage, or become uninsured.
Key Findings
An estimated 25-43 million people could lose their employer-sponsored health insurance coverage.
More than half of the newly jobless will obtain Medicaid coverage in states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), while only about one-third will receive Medicaid coverage in the 15 states that have not expanded the program.
Less than a quarter of these workers and their dependents in expansion states will become uninsured, while about 40 percent in non-expansion states will become uninsured.
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