Laci Crosson’s son doesn’t have pills to manage his attention deficit disorder.
Betty Canales is worried about how she’ll pay for her diabetes medication.
Stevie Smith saw a doctor after she was furloughed — and paid more than double her usual price.
With the U.S. economy flailing as the country contends with the coronavirus pandemic, more than 1 million Texans have likely suffered the double whammy of losing their jobs and their employer-based health insurance. Some have landed in the state’s patchy health care safety net, where advocates say they could be cut off from physical and mental health services while facing the economic strain of a public health crisis.
Researchers estimate that between 25 million and 43 million people in the U.S. will lose health insurance through their employers in the coming months if the unemployment rate grows to 20%. It’s already near 15%, a record high since the Great Depression.