Hundreds of thousands in Washington likely lost health insurance amid coronavirus outbreak: Analysis

Hundreds of thousands of people across Washington state likely lost their health insurance coverage over the past several weeks since the start of the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to a new analysis.

The state's Office of Financial Management estimated 272,900 people lost their health insurance coverage between March 15 and April 18. The uninsured rate in the state grew from about 6.7% at the beginning of 2020, to an estimated 10.2%, according to the report, bringing the total number of uninsured people across the state to about 794,700.

For workers who lost their jobs during the pandemic, the report estimated about 51% were now uninsured.

The analysis "simulated the changes in employment as of the week ending on April 18, 2020, using the 2018 American Community Survey."

The increase in the number of people in the state who lost health insurance corresponds to the huge uptick in unemployment claims over the past month.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/hundreds-of-thousands-in-washington-likely-lost-health-insurance-amid-coronavirus-outbreak-analysis/ar-BB13r5Aq