A new report estimates 12,100 Hawaii residents lost their health insurance coverage this year as unemployment jumped.

The report by Families USA said the economic downturn and rising joblessness were responsible for the spike because most people's health insurance is tied to their work. The report estimates 93,400 people don't have coverage here.

"People who receive a pink slip experience a double whammy," said Ron Pollack, executive director of the Washington-based nonprofit that advocates for affordable health care for all.

"They not only lose their jobs but they usually lose their health coverage as well."

Hawaii traditionally has had one of the lowest uninsured rates in the nation because of the 1974 Prepaid Health Care Act that requires employers to offer coverage to workers who regularly work 20 or more hours a week.

The Families USA report noted between 2006 and 2008 Hawaii's uninsured rate for working adults was 10.6 percent.

It estimates the number has risen as Hawaii's unemployment surged from an average 4 percent last year to 6.9 percent this year. The report said that laid-off workers can be eligible for continued health care coverage under the COBRA program, but that this coverage is often unaffordable for people without a paycheck.

Families USA estimates Hawaii's uninsured rate now is 12.4 percent, with 12,100 going without insurance.

The report is the latest by Families USA, which lobbies for health care reform to expand coverage to all citizens. Earlier this year it released a study saying 100 Hawaii residents a week would lose insurance between 2008 and 2010 because of rising premiums.

It also released reports this year on health care premiums rising 3.7 times faster than median earnings in the state, and another saying premiums are taking an increasing share of income.

The report used data from several federal government sources and used a formula developed by the Urban Institute economists. The model is based on the premise that every percentage point increase in seasonally adjusted unemployment raises the percentage of uninsured adults by 0.59 percentage points.