Roughly 9.3 million U.S. adults lost their health insurance due to the increase in unemployment during the recession of 2007 to 2009, according to a study from Carnegie Mellon, Cornell and Indiana universities.
The study looked at Census Bureau data and monthly unemployment figures during those three years. Researchers found that the 9.3 million people that lost health coverage was about nine times higher from the recession of 2001. However, researchers estimated that roughly 4.2 million children under the age of 18 gained health insurance through social safety nets like Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program.
Other findings included the following:
• Of those estimated to have lost health insurance, 7.1 million were men, and 2.2 million were women.
• For men, an increase in the unemployment rate of 1 percent was associated with a 1.67 percent decrease in health coverage. However, that decrease could also represent employers dropping coverage, cuts to workers' hours where they do not qualify for health insurance or increased premiums leading to declining coverage.
• For children under 18, an increase in the unemployment rate of 1 percent was associated with a 1.37 percent decrease in health coverage.
The study looked at Census Bureau data and monthly unemployment figures during those three years. Researchers found that the 9.3 million people that lost health coverage was about nine times higher from the recession of 2001. However, researchers estimated that roughly 4.2 million children under the age of 18 gained health insurance through social safety nets like Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program.
Other findings included the following:
• Of those estimated to have lost health insurance, 7.1 million were men, and 2.2 million were women.
• For men, an increase in the unemployment rate of 1 percent was associated with a 1.67 percent decrease in health coverage. However, that decrease could also represent employers dropping coverage, cuts to workers' hours where they do not qualify for health insurance or increased premiums leading to declining coverage.
• For children under 18, an increase in the unemployment rate of 1 percent was associated with a 1.37 percent decrease in health coverage.
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