rar accoun ely if ever ted for been a greater used in res propor earch an tion of ld osho ss of jo uld bs with ESI not be confuse (18% d w of los ith the t jo famili bs witar “ h ESI an Unem d 19 plo % yment of potential Betsy Jaffe Bethanne Fox Insura Direct ESI cov nc erage l or, e Claims Re Market oss when ing an port” (o depd Pu endents r “weekly blic Relat are inclu claims report” ions ded ). ). Th e weekly claims re VP por , Out t is a bare reach and Strate -bones report gy Employee Benefit Research Institute Commonwealth Fund that provides simple weekly counts of the number of initial and continued unemployment insurance Nearly 3.3 million workers in accommodation and food services became unemployed between February press-media@ebri.org bf@cmwf.org claimants in each state but provides no detail on the demographic composition or previous industry of 2020 and June 2020 – 30 percent of the industry’s workforce. However, only 25 percent of workers in 202.775.6347 212.606.3853 those claimants. In contrast, the characteristics report is a detailed monthly report of the industry, that industry had ESI pre-pandemic, so only seven percent of accommodation and food service workers occupation, and demographic characteristics of unemployment recipients in each state. lost jobs with ESI as a result of shutdowns. Similarly, retail trade accounted for ten percent of pre- pandem About EBRI: ic em ployment and 14 percent of unemployed workers in June. But because only 40 percent of EMBARGOED UNTIL WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 12:01 AM EASTERN workers in retail trade had ESI pre-pandemic, these workers accounted for only 12 percent of lost jobs New Study Finds up to 7.7 Million American Workers Lost Jobs With Employer-Sponsored Health The Employee Benefit Research Institute is a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit research institute based in with ESI and 11 percent potential ESI coverage loss including dependents. Insurance During the COVID-19 Pandemic Washington, DC, that focuses on health, savings, retirement, and economic security issues. EBRI “ condu Demo ct graphi s object cs also ive research an play an impo d edu rtant cation t role. W o info orkers rm pl age an s de 35 sig to n and 44 and 45 publ ic to policy, does 54 bore the b no rt ulobby an nt of ESI-d Nearly 7 Million Dependents Affected, the Manufacturing Sector, Women and Workers Age 35-54 covered jo does not take b lo policy sses, in pos large part itions. The becaus work of e wo Erkers in BRI is m thes ade pos e age gro sible by fun ups were ding t fr he mo om its st lik memb ely to ers and be Disproportionately Impacted coveri sponso nrs g , which spouses i and ot nclude a her de broad range pendento s,f public, priv ” said Paul Fate, for ronstin, Direc -profittor o and no f EBRI’s nprofHealth Resea it organizations. Fo rch anr d WASHINGTON – October 7, 2020 – As many as 7.7 million workers lost jobs with Employer-Sponsored more Educatio info n Pr rmation go ogram. “T to he w adv ww.ebri.or erse effec g. ts of the pandemic recession also fell disproportionately on Insurance (ESI) because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study from the Employee Benefit women. Although women made up 47 percent of pre-pandemic employment, they accounted for 55 About the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research: Research Institute (EBRI), The W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research and the Commonwealth percent of total job losses.” Fund. The study, How Many Americans Have Lost Jobs with Employer Health Coverage During the The W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research is an independent, private, nonprofit, nonpartisan Job Loss to ESI Loss: A Complicated Journey Pandemic?”, also finds that 6.9 million dependents were covered by ESI through these job losers, and research organization established in 1945. It is an activity of the W.E. Upjohn Unemployment Trustee manufacturing workers were most affected by loss of jobs with ESI. Corporation, which was formed in 1932 to administer a fund created by Dr. W.E. Upjohn for the purpose The path from loss of a job with ESI to loss of health insurance is not simple and depends on three of carrying on "research into the causes and effects of unemployment and measures for the alleviation factors. First, is the job loss temporary or permanent, and if temporary, does the employer continue ESI In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, most states imposed lockdown orders that closed many of unemployment." More information, including the full report, is available at the Upjohn Institute coverage until the worker is called back to work? The next consideration is the extent to which workplaces and dramatically slowed U.S. economic activity in the spring of 2020. The result was a website. temporary layoffs without loss of ESI lead to permanent layoffs with loss of ESI. Finally, when workers do massive increase in unemployment, which peaked in April at 14.7 percent. During the 15 weeks from lose ESI, how many obtain coverage through other family members, COBRA, the ACA marketplace, or mid-March to the end of June, Americans filed nearly 49 million new claims for unemployment benefits. About the Commonwealth Fund: Medicaid? The strong link between employment and health insurance coverage has important implications for The Commonwealth Fund is a private, nonprofit foundation supporting independent research “Only with time will we know how many job losses are ultimately permanent and result in loss of ESI,” Americans’ insurance coverage and access to health care, as ESI is the most common form of health on health policy reform and a high-performance health system. For more information please visit said Stephen Woodbury, Upjohn Institute Senior Economist and co-author of the report. “In the interim, insurance in the United States. “This study illustrates how the country’ s predominantly job-based health commonwealthfund.org. it will be important to monitor key labor market statistics, including the number of workers on furlough insurance system leaves workers and their families at risk of losing coverage during a severe economic or temporary layoff who become permanent job losers, and the number of job losers who have been downturn,” said Sara Collins, Commonwealth Fund Vice President for Health Care Coverage, Access, and unemployed for 15 weeks or more and are unlikely to be attached to an employer and covered by ESI.” Tracking. “Unlike prior recessions, the reforms of the Affordable Care Act are a safety net for many who lose coverage. But the law is now at risk of repeal before the Supreme Court, just when Americans need A copy of the report, “How Many Americans Have Lost Jobs with Employer Health Coverage During the it most.” Pandemic? ”, is available at ebri.org. In March 2019, 69 percent of the 152 million workers ages 16 and older had ESI, meaning that 175 About the Study: million workers and their dependents had coverage. But if millions of workers and their dependents have lost ESI during the pandemic, the result would be increased enrollment in COBRA (Consolidated The data for this study come from two sources. Data on health insurance coverage come from the Ma Omnibus rch 201 Bud 9 Annual get Reco Sonci cial li and Econo ation Act) co mntinu ic Supple ous c men overage t to the Curre , Affordable Car nt Populat e Act ion marke Survey (C tplace PS) plans . The, and CPS is Medicaid, as well as an increase in the number of uninsured. a primary source of labor force statistics for the U.S. population and is co-sponsored by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In March 2019, the CPS interviewed nearly 95,000 Employees are Not Equally Impacted households, covering 180,000 individuals. The March CPS collects information on health insurance coverage for both the prior calendar year and at the time the survey is fielded. Data on whether workers The pandemic-related lockdowns affected some industries and groups of workers more severely than had employee-only, employee-plus-one, or family coverage are also available. others. Total job losses in manufacturing were roughly proportional to employment — manufacturing accounted for ten percent of pre-pandemic employment and 12 percent of unemployed workers in Data on unemployed workers come from “Characteristics of Unemployment Insurance Claimants,” a June. But because manufacturing has one of the highest rates of ESI coverage at 66 percent, it i monthly report published by the U.S. Department of Labor. These monthly characteristics reports have