This report highlights the economic impacts of the recession on health insurance coverage, health care access and coverage gaps found from interviews with individuals in four American cities.

From the report: 

Since the economic recession began in December 2007, the number of unemployed Americans has risen by 7.2 million, reaching 14.7 million or 9.5% in June 2009. Millions more workers have had to settle for part-time work or are no longer counted in the labor force because they have given up looking for work. Compounding the toll of unemployment and under-employment on American families is the loss of health insurance that often results. Based on a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis, the increased joblessness since the recession started has caused 5 million more Americans to become uninsured. For employers, also struggling in this economy, the burden of health care costs is growing, and further erosion of job-based coverage seems certain.  A team of researchers from the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and Lake Research Partners recently conducted site visits in four American cities to learn more about the impact of the continuing recession, especially with respect to health coverage and access and health itself. In each site, focus groups were conducted with 8 to 10 individuals who had lost their jobs and, in many cases, their health insurance due to the recession, and interviews were held with employers and safety-net providers in the community.

Key Findings:

1. The recession highlights wide gaps in our health care system.
2. The uninsured and under-insured delay and forgo important health care due to cost.
3. More and better efforts are needed to connect families with assistance programs.
4. The safety-net is critical but cannot fill the coverage gaps.

Full report: Rising Health Pressures in an Economic Recession (PDF|1.11MB)

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation & Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. (2009). Rising health pressures in an economic recession: a 360 degree look at four communities. Perry, M., Cummings, J., Lewis, M., Paradise, J., Lyons, B., & Rudowitz, R.