Iran Press/America: The US isn't just the only developed nation lacking universal coverage — it's also distinct in that most working-age people rely on their job to provide health insurance.
The way it usually works is people get an insurance package when they start a new job. In normal times, most Americans tell pollsters they like their plan. These aren't normal times, CBC reported.
Unemployment is skyrocketing, with a historic 10-percentage-point jump in one month. A new estimate from the non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation says nearly 27 million people will lose their health plan, and while most will qualify for a subsidized backup plan, nearly six million won't.
That follows similar findings from the Economic Policy Institute and Urban Institute that suggest at least seven million people will be left without coverage.
It's creating a medical crisis-within-a-crisis with the potential to shape the US presidential campaign.
One of the country's best-known health-policy experts sees an alignment of conditions that could trigger a reform that has eluded US politicians for generations: guaranteed health care for all citizens.
"What [the pandemic] really does is force us to figure out how we're going to get to universal coverage," said Ezekiel Emanuel, who not only served a senior role in the Obama White House but has been tapped for health-policy advice by President Donald Trump.
More than 1,430,000 people in the United States have been infected with the coronavirus and at least 85,000 have died, according to the latest figures.
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