WASHINGTON, D.C. –More than 158,000 Ohio adults lost their health coverage because of job loss in 2009 according to a new report released today by Families USA. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) discussed this report on health care and job loss entitled “One-Two Punch: Unemployed and Uninsured.” He also outlined efforts to pass meaningful health reform and to extend unemployment insurance for workers in hard-hit states like Ohio.
“Layoffs don’t just affect a family’s financial security—they can also affect a family’s physical health,” said Brown. “That why we need to pass short-term solutions like an extension of unemployment insurance and long-term solutions like comprehensive health insurance reform. Health insurance reform will lower costs for everyone – ensuring the economic security of Ohio families and the competitiveness of American businesses.”
Unemployment and Loss of Health Benefits: A One-Two Punch
The Families USA report compares the percentage of uninsured adults in 2009 with the Census Bureau’s average annual percentage of uninsured adults for the three-year period of 2006-2008. According to the analysis, the percentage of uninsured adults in Ohio grew from 15 percent in 2006-2008 to a projected 17.2 percent in 2009. A copy of the report, “One-Two Punch: Unemployed and Uninsured,” is available on the Web at: http://www.familiesusa.org/assets/pdfs/one-two-punch.pdf
Since most Americans – 62 percent of those under the age of 65 – get their health coverage through their job or that of a family member, higher unemployment periods result in more Americans joining the ranks of the uninsured. While temporary options like COBRA and individual coverage are available, they are often too expensive for Ohioans to afford.
Brown has helped pass temporary assistance for unemployed workers and is fighting to pass meaningful health reform. He successfully fought for the economic recovery package to include provisions from his original legislation, the Coverage Continuity Act, which was written to help displaced workers maintain health coverage. The final version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides a 65 percent federal subsidy to help these workers afford temporary COBRA health coverage.
Extending Unemployment Insurance for Workers in Hard-Hit States
Brown also discussed efforts to extend unemployment insurance. Following the call, Brown released a new county-by-county report showing the number of Ohioans who will lose unemployment benefits if Congress does not pass an extension. Brown is cosponsor of a bill that would extend unemployment insurance for workers in hard hit states like Ohio. If unemployment insurance is not extended, more than 64,500 Ohioans will exhaust benefits by the end of the year. A copy of Brown’s county-by-county analysis can be found attached.
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