Economy on rebound? Uninsured still waiting for help

A new coalition takes on a sadly familiar problem that is getting worse.

Editorial. March 25, 2002.

Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan has told a congressional committee that the nation's rebound from the recession is apparently "already well under way." The latest economic figures confirm this and indicate that the recession will go on record as having been both unusually brief and mild.

All of which is little comfort to the more than 2.2 million Americans who lost their health insurance last year. That jump is driven by the more than 1.1 million jobs lost due to the economic downturn compounded by 2001's Sept. 11 attacks -- the worst single-year drop in the number of Americans with health coverage since 1992 -- according to consumer health group Families USA. Keep in mind that the most commonly cited figure for the uninsured, an already staggering 38.7 million, dates from well before the recession began.

There still may be more bad news to come. Greenspan had been predicting unemployment to actually rise somewhat over the course of this year, in the face of a slower-than-typical economic recovery, and that is still possible. The unemployment rate dipped slightly in February, yet major job cuts are still being announced. Notable examples from this month's layoffs list are 22,000 jobs lost at beleaguered Kmart Corp. and 10,000 positions to be shed by Verizon Communications Inc. [...]