This issue brief illuminates the emotional and pocketbook struggles of families who have suffered financial reversals and lost health coverage in the economic recession forcing many to juggle bills, skip prescription medications and postpone visits to the doctor while they scramble to find a new job.

Many who once had steady employment and incomes have had to turn to Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program for the first time, even as those programs face increasing budget constraints. The report draws from five focus group discussions involving 36 adults in Bridgeport, Conn.; Charlotte, N.C.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Baltimore, Md. and Las Vegas, Nev.

 Issue Brief (.pdf)