Washington, April 4 (RHC)-- In the United States, the Labor Department reports a staggering 6.65 million Americans filed for unemployment over the last week, bringing the total number of U.S. jobless claims to more than 10 million since the coronavirus pandemic reached the United States.  

Millions more are expected to file claims in the coming weeks, with state unemployment agencies reporting jammed phone lines and crashing web servers due to record levels of traffic.   

Economist Ben Zipperer of the Economic Policy Institute estimates in just two weeks, mass layoffs left 3.5 million people with no health benefits.  He tweeted: “The COVID-19 pandemic lays bare the cruelty of tying health insurance coverage to employment.”