Without Bold Congressional Action, Major Losses in Health Coverage Will Accelerate the Spread of Untreatable, Deadly COVID-19

COVID-19’s spread and the resulting economic collapse have moved with blinding speed. The first American died of COVID-19 on March 1. By May 1— just two months later — 63,000 had lost their lives. During that same period, more than 33 million people lost their jobs and filed unemployment insurance claims.

Many who lost employment are simultaneously losing health insurance. According to recent Urban Institute research, between 7.3 million people and 15.8 million people are likely to join the ranks of the uninsured. Nearly one in six people (16.5%) could soon lack all coverage, putting them at elevated risk of undetected and untreated COVID-19 illness and transmission that endangers themselves, their families, and their communities. This report provides results for all 50 states, ranking them in order of pandemic risks and coverage losses.