Employment

This post examines the data about workers’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and finds that both on-site and at-home workers are facing challenges, though frontline and essential workers, as well as women and workers of color, face disproportionate impacts.

As the COVID-19 pandemic grows, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other public health officials recommend that people who are sick should stay home. Benefits such as sick leave and family leave can help employees follow these guidelines; however, the U.S. does not have national standards on paid family or sick leave. The lack of a national policy means some employees are forced to take unpaid leave, or come to work when they are ill, which could have public health consequences.

Findings from administrative data suggest that the decline in enrollment among employer-sponsored insurance was far less than overall declines in employment as of September, and that many who did lose their job-based coverage likely found a safety net in coverage through Medicaid or the ACA marketplaces.

This KFF poll finds the public largely supports laws that ban discrimination against people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender in light of recent decisions made by the Trump administration to roll back protections for LGBTQ people, and the Supreme Court ruling to ban discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation in the workplace.

As state and local governments ease social distancing orders, many employers and workers face decisions about a physical return to the workplace. Drew Altman’s latest Axios column analyzes the numbers and finds that, “An estimated 25-30 million people are caught in the middle of the coronavirus economy — they’re unable…

As state and local governments ease social distancing orders, many employers and workers face decisions about a physical return to the workplace. Drew Altman’s latest Axios column analyzes the numbers and finds that, “An estimated 25-30 million people are caught in the middle of the coronavirus economy — they’re unable to work from home but also face a high risk of severe infection.”

This data note examines the characteristics of health care workers who are potentially ineligible for the Families First Coronavirus Response Act’s emergency paid sick leave.

A new KFF analysis finds nearly one in four workers (24%) are considered at high risk of serious illness if they get infected by the novel coronavirus, highlighting the challenges that businesses, public offices and other employers face as they move toward reopening. The analysis estimates 37.7 million workers (based…

This analysis finds nearly one in four workers are considered at high risk of serious illness if they get infected by the novel coronavirus, highlighting the challenges that businesses, public offices and other employers face as they reopen.

In this May 2020 post for The JAMA Health Forum, Larry Levitt explores how the massive and rapid job losses of the past few months will test the ACA’s coverage safety net – and how different policies could strengthen or weaken it.