More than one in four U.S. working-age adults experienced a gap in health insurance coverage during 2011, often because they lost or changed jobs, according to a new Commonwealth Fund survey. Nearly seven in 10 adults lacked coverage for a year or more. Four in 10 respondents previously had employer-sponsored insurance, two-thirds of which cited a job loss or change as the primary reason for losing coverage. Nearly half of young adults and one in four parents surveyed said they took advantage of a Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provision allowing children under age 26 to stay on or enroll in their parents’ health plan.
“The current system of health insurance in the United States has gaping holes, the effects of which have become increasingly pronounced during a weak economy,” said Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis. “The Affordable Care Act is beginning to close those gaps, so that people who are already struggling can maintain health care coverage that will provide for their families’ health and help ensure their financial security.”
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