Pandemic-Related Job Loss Causes Major Increases in Uninsured Americans

QuoteWizard®, a LendingTree company, and one of the nation’s leading online insurance marketplaces released a report on uninsured rates growth as pandemic-related job loss increases. Unemployment and uninsured rates are closely correlated. While not a one-to-one direct correlation, unemployment will result in people losing health insurance.

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One of the most significant impacts of unemployment is the resulting number of people who will also lose their employer-sponsored health insurance. While some unemployed can seek Medicaid or other means of health insurance, many are left without viable or affordable health insurance options.

Key Findings:

  • An estimated 5.4 million people from February to May are left uninsured as a result of job losses.
  • The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation predicts over 10 million people will lose employer-sponsored health insurance by the end of 2020 as a result of pandemic-related job loss
  • The uninsured rate jumped 56% in May compared to pre-pandemic levels.
  • In eight states, 20% or more adults are uninsured.
  • States with high unemployment experienced the largest increases in uninsured rates.

Methodology
QuoteWizard analyzed Bureau of Labor Statistics unemployment data from June 2020, and paired it with May 2020 uninsured data from the Kaiser Family Foundation and Families USA to see which states saw the greatest impacts from unemployment on uninsured rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rankings are based on a change in uninsured rates from 2018 to May 2020. States that saw the largest increases in uninsured rates from 2018 to May 2020 were also states that had the highest unemployment rates in June 2020.

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Rank

State

Unemployment Rate

May Uninsured Rate

Increase in Uninsured Rate

1

Massachusetts

17.4%

8%

167%

2

Hawaii

13.9%

10%

150%

3

Michigan

14.8%

12%

140%

4

Rhode Island

12.4%

9%

125%

5

New Hampshire

11.8%

11%

120%

6

New York

15.7%

10%

100%

7

West Virginia

10.4%

12%

100%

8

Connecticut

9.8%

10%

100%

9

South Carolina

8.7%

20%

100%

10

Minnesota

8.6%

8%

100%

11

Florida

10.4%

25%

92%

12

Nevada

15.0%

21%

91%

13

Tennessee

9.7%

19%

90%

14

Alabama

7.5%

19%

90%

15

Missouri

7.9%

17%

89%

16

Arkansas

8.0%

15%

88%

17

New Jersey

16.6%

13%

86%

18

California

14.9%

13%

86%

19

Illinois

14.6%

13%

86%

20

Oregon

11.2%

13%

86%

21

Delaware

12.5%

11%

83%

22

Ohio

10.9%

11%

83%

23

Mississippi

8.7%

22%

83%

24

Maryland

8.0%

11%

83%

25

North Carolina

7.6%

20%

82%

26

Iowa

8.0%

9%

80%

27

New Mexico

8.3%

16%

78%

28

South Dakota

7.2%

16%

78%

29

Louisiana

9.7%

14%

75%

30

Vermont

9.4%

7%

75%

31

Washington

9.8%

12%

71%

32

Oklahoma

6.6%

24%

71%

33

Pennsylvania

13.0%

10%

67%

34

Wisconsin

8.5%

10%

67%

35

Kentucky

4.3%

10%

67%

36

Kansas

7.5%

15%

67%

37

Georgia

7.6%

23%

64%

38

Idaho

5.6%

18%

64%

39

Indiana

11.2%

13%

63%

40

Colorado

10.5%

13%

63%

41

Montana

7.1%

13%

63%

42

Maine

6.6%

13%

63%

43

Texas

8.6%

29%

61%

44

Virginia

8.4%

14%

56%

45

Arizona

10.0%

17%

55%

46

Wyoming

7.6%

17%

55%

47

Nebraska

6.7%

12%

50%

48

Utah

5.1%

13%

44%

49

Alaska

12.4%

17%

42%

50

North Dakota

6.1%

11%

38%

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