Ohio company’s closure highlights link between unemployed and uninsured

When Archway abruptly closed its cookie factory in Ashland this fall, 275 people not only lost their job, but also the health benefits offered by the company  (Source: “When a Job Disappears, So Does the Health Care,” New York Times, Dec. 7, 2008).

The number of unemployed workers nationwide has grown by 2.8 million, or 36 percent, since January and because most people get health coverage through their jobs, the rising unemployment figures mean a corresponding rise in those without insurance.

“This shows why — no matter how bad the condition of the economy — we can’t delay pursuing comprehensive health care,” said Senator Sherrod Brown. “There are too many victims who are innocent of anything but working at the wrong place at the wrong time.”