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Michigan County-By-County Report Shows the Harm of Not Extending Unemployment Insurance

If Congress fails to extend the federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation program more than 43,000 people in Michigan are set to lose their insurance coverage immediately on Dec. 28, according to the Michigan Department of Licensing & Regulatory Affairs. An additional 86,500 people in Michigan will lose their coverage in the first six months of 2014 if Republicans continue to block an extension of the program, according to Department of Labor estimates.

Federal unemployment insurance took effect in 2008 and has been reauthorized several times since as Americans continue to recover from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Despite the real progress the economy has made since its near collapse in 2008, there are still 1.3 million fewer jobs than there were before the recession began, long-term unemployment as a percentage of the unemployed is 37 percent, near historic highs, and the unemployment rate in Michigan was 9 percent in October.

Failure to extend federal unemployment insurance would also hurt job growth throughout the nation, costing the economy 240,000 jobs, according to the White House Council of Economic Advisers. The CEA estimates that in Michigan alone, failing to extend the program will cost 8,450 jobs.

COUNTY

# OF PEOPLE LOSING COVERAGE DEC. 28

ALCONA

59

ALGER

33

ALLEGAN

368

ALPENA

132

ANTRIM

132

ARENAC

93

BARAGA

38

BARRY

203

BAY

547

BENZIE

114

BERRIEN

614

BRANCH

160

CALHOUN

578

CASS

131

CHARLEVOIX

112

CHEBOYGAN

358

CHIPPEWA

204

CLARE

149

CLINTON

221

CRAWFORD

84

DELTA

154

DICKINSON

81

EATON

414

EMMET

233

GENESEE

2,121

GLADWIN

120

GOGEBIC

49

GRAND TRAVERSE

406

GRATIOT

148

HILLSDALE

135

HOUGHTON

161

HURON

109

INGHAM

1,170

IONIA

207

IOSCO

141

IRON

48

ISABELLA

188

JACKSON

646

KALAMAZOO

908

KALKASKA

87

KENT

2,077

KEWEENAW

9

LAKE

55

LAPEER

444

LEELANAU

88

LENAWEE

300

LIVINGSTON

584

LUCE

22

MACKINAC

161

MACOMB

4,140

MANISTEE

121

MARQUETTE

287

MASON

160

MECOSTA

143

MENOMINEE

55

MIDLAND

332

MISSAUKEE

61

MONROE

406

MONTCALM

267

MONTMORENCY

55

MUSKEGON

987

NEWAYGO

214

OAKLAND

4,555

OCEANA

169

OGEMAW

139

ONTONAGON

45

OSCEOLA

129

OSCODA

44

OTSEGO

121

OTTAWA

706

PRESQUE ISLE

90

ROSCOMMON

164

SAGINAW

1,042

SANILAC

196

SCHOOLCRAFT

38

SHIAWASSEE

343

ST. CLAIR

863

ST. JOSEPH

133

TUSCOLA

253

VAN BUREN

327

WASHTENAW

684

WAYNE

10,230

WEXFORD

216

STATEWIDE

43,311