Short-term medical health plans could help people who lose their job keep health coverage.

(NAPS)—There may be at least one way to help Americans who have faced layoffs: Maintaining health coverage between jobs can be made more affordable.

More than 2.5 million people have lost their jobs since the beginning of the current recession and, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, more than half of the unemployed adults who were looking for work were uninsured.

Of that group, 69 percent said they were uninsured because they lost their job or were unable to afford coverage. For many of them, short-term medical insurance may be an affordable solution.

The insurance can make a difference to the unemployed and others who are in situations that leave them uninsured temporarily. This includes not only those recently laid off, but also those who are caught in a waiting period for insurance to kick in at a new job, recent college graduates who are no longer on their parents’ plans, seasonal employees who do not qualify for employer coverage year-round, and early retirees waiting for Medicare eligibility.