skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Post-presidential debate poll shows a shift in WI; Teamsters won't endorse in presidential race after releasing internal polling showing most members support Trump; IL energy jobs growth is strong but lacks female workers; Pregnant, Black Coloradans twice as likely to die than the overall population.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Teamsters choose not to endorse a presidential candidate, county officials in Texas fight back against state moves to limit voter registration efforts, and the FBI investigate suspicious packages sent to elections offices in at least 17 states.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

56,000+ Nebraska Workers Have Lost Employer-Provided Health Coverage

play audio
Play

Thursday, May 21, 2020   

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Since the economic fallout of the COVID-19 health emergency began in March, the number of workers applying for unemployment benefits has skyrocketed, and so has the number of people who lost their employer-based health insurance.

In Nebraska, 120,000 workers have lost jobs, according to the Economic Policy Institute, and more than 56,000 have lost their health coverage.

Ben Zipperer, an economist with the institute, says access to health insurance already was tough before the health crisis.

"The current pandemic is really exposing, I think, the main weakness in this system, that we tie health insurance coverage to employment," he states. "Many countries have dealt with this problem by guaranteeing health insurance. That is something that we could do."

Zipperer says one short-term fix to help people who have lost coverage and can't afford to buy insurance without an income would be to extend Medicaid and Medicare to everyone affected by the crisis.

Nationally, 35 million Americans have lost jobs or been furloughed since mid-March, and more than 16 million have lost their health insurance.

Zipperer says access to affordable health insurance, unemployment benefits, even emergency food assistance is not easy during normal times. He says it can be especially terrifying for workers to lose their health insurance as a result of, and during, an ongoing pandemic.

"And now we're in an absolute health and economic crisis where over 30 million Americans have likely lost their job," he stats. "In that kind of crisis, we want to have the strongest social support systems as possible, and we don't have that right now."

Out-of-work Nebraskans have 60 days to enroll for coverage through the Affordable Care Act online at HealthCare.gov. Loss of employment is a qualifying event that opens up a special enrollment period.

Once Nebraska fully expands Medicaid under the ACA, residents who lose their income altogether will likely qualify for the federal program, which doesn't charge premiums and has very low out-of-pocket costs.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …


Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Health Literacy Month, and a Denver-based group is working to help health professionals break a persistent pattern of discrimination …

Environment

play sound

A new report contends fossil fuel funding has biased Columbia University's climate research. The report, by two Columbia students, shows the …


Alabama releases roughly 220,279 men and 78,247 women from its prisons and jails each year. (Chad Robertson/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An Alabama woman is on a mission to help people who've been incarcerated for decades successfully transition back into society. The mission to …

Health and Wellness

play sound

In North Carolina, the gap between Medicaid reimbursement rates and the actual cost of dental care has reached a crisis point, impacting both …

So far in 2024, community health centers in North Dakota have screened 11,580 patients for food insecurity. Through those screenings, more than three thousand box meals have been distributed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

September is Hunger Action Month. In North Dakota, it isn't just food banks trying to help underserved populations get nutritious items. Health …

Environment

play sound

Marine biologists conducting deep dives near five California islands are collecting data they hope will strengthen the case for ending gillnet fishing…

Environment

play sound

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021