Introduction

The economic downturn that began in 2007 has had a profound effect on families across the nation. Millions of working Americans have lost their jobs, and, with each passing month, that number grows. For many, the loss of a job also means the loss of health coverage. This one-two punch deals a painful blow to the economic security of American families, leaving them at risk of shouldering the high cost of care on their own should illness strike.

According to data recently released by the Census Bureau, some 46.3 million people lacked health coverage in 2008. However, the economy has changed a great deal since 2008: Unemployment continued to rise through the first eight months of 2009, even as recovery efforts worked to reverse this trend. And, as unemployment rises, the proportion of uninsured working-age Americans grows.

Thus, given the substantial increase in unemployment between 2008 and today, the latest Census Bureau data, which reflect the insurance status of Americans in 2008, underestimate the number of people who are uninsured today. To get a clearer picture of the current crisis of the uninsured, a more in-depth look at the link between unemployment and uninsurance is needed. In this report, Families USA provides a state-by-state analysis of the likely magnitude of the increase in uninsured working-age adults in 2009 due to rising unemployment.