Providing Health Coverage for the Unemployed

Report

As of February 1983, 10.2 million jobless Americans and their dependents lacked any form of health insurance coverage as a direct result of unemployment. Another 20 million had no coverage for other reasons. Lack of coverage is known to impede access to health care and it may lead to diminished health, though confirming data are unavailable. For these reasons, high and persistant unemployment rates have made lack of coverage caused by joblessness an important Congressional concern.