(HealthDay)—About 5.4 million Americans lost their health insurance after being laid off between February and May due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study shows.

The number of adults who lost coverage due to unemployment during those months is higher than the number of those who have ever lost insurance in a single year, The New York Times reported.

The increase in uninsured laid-off workers during the study period was nearly 40 percent higher than the highest previous increase of 3.9 million, which occurred during the 2008-2009 recession, according to the study from the nonpartisan consumer advocacy group Families USA. Nearly half (46 percent) were in five states: California, Texas, Florida, New York, and North Carolina, The Times reported. In the 13 states that did not expand Medicaid—including Texas, Florida, and North Carolina—43 percent of laid-off workers became uninsured, nearly double the rate of 23 percent in states that did expand Medicaid.

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