This Families USA report uses 2008 data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Urban Institute to estimate the 2009 national and state-level uninsurance rates. It estimates that the number of uninsured working Americans has increased by 4 million since 2008, totaling over 50 million uninsured American residents.  The report notes that states with higher unemployment rates have suffered greater percentage losses in health coverage, with the highest percentage losses coming in Oregon, Michigan, South Carolina, Nevada, and North Carolina.  However, the report also notes that insurance rates among children have remained high throughout the recession largely due to the success of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

From the report:

The current recession has put the job-based coverage of millions at risk. For many, losing a job means losing the coverage that their employer provides. While the safety net of public health insurance programs, including Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), provides coverage to some who lose their job-based coverage, current eligibility rules limit who qualifies for coverage based on income and family status. In most states, for example, a child is eligible for Medicaid or CHIP if that child’s family income is at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level ($36,620 for a family of three in 2009). However, the eligibility levels are much lower for parents than they are for children. The median income eligibility level among the 50 states for working parents is 67 percent of the federal poverty level—only $12,268 in annual income for a family of three in 2009. Even worse, in 42 states, Medicaid is simply not available for adults without dependent children unless those adults are permanently disabled.

Full report:  One-Two Punch: Unemployed and Uninsured (PDF | 160.59 KB)

Families USA. (2009). One-two punch: unemployed and uninsured.