As unemployment numbers reach levels not seen in 25 years, a crisis is unfolding for the millions of people who have lost their health insurance along with their jobs.

About 10.3 million Americans were unemployed in November, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics. The number has increased by 2.8 million, or 36 percent, since January.

Most people are covered through the workplace, so when they lose their jobs, they lose their health benefits. On average, for each jobless worker who lost insurance, at least one child or spouse has also lost protection, public health experts say.

Nearly 4.4 million people are getting unemployment insurance benefits, an increase of 60 percent in the past year. But unemployment only provides temporary relief, and more than half of unemployed workers are not getting help because they do not qualify or have exhausted their benefits. In some cases, people who are laid off can maintain their group health benefits under a federal law known as COBRA, but that is only if that company’s plan still exists.

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