A new report estimates 12,100 Hawaiçi residents lost their health insurance coverage this year as unemployment jumped.

The report by Families USA said the economic downturn and rising joblessness were responsible for the spike because most people’s health insurance is tied to their work. The report estimates 93,400 people don’t have coverage here.
“People who receive a pink slip experience a double whammy,” said Ron Pollack, executive director of the Washington-based nonprofit that advocates for affordable health care for all.
“They not only lose their jobs but the usually lose their health coverage as well.”
Hawaiçi traditionally has had one of the lowest uninsured rates in the nation because of the 1974 Prepaid Health Care Act that requires employers to offer coverage to workers who regularly work 20 or more hours a week.