CBS News
An estimated 5.4 million American workers lost their health insurance from February through May, one study finds. Nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that about 27 million in total are at risk of losing coverage during the coronavirus pandemic, and could be left struggling with COVID-19 or other illnesses along with a lack of income that can make paying medical bills nearly impossible. "We're seeing an unprecedented loss in jobs, and what's going to come along with that, is unfortunately the loss of health insurance as well," Kaiser Executive Vice President Larry Levitt told CBS News' Michelle Miller. He said the loss of health insurance is "particularly risky" during a pandemic, when people are at a heightened risk of "getting infected and potentially severely ill." "People who don't have health insurance hesitate to seek medical attention, worrying about the big medical bills they may face," Levitt said. Those losses mean Americans with preexisting conditions, like Georgia resident Rodney Watts, are left without coverage or work when they need it the most.