GREENSBORO, N.C. – Hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians have lost their jobs and some of their health coverage due to the pandemic.

The North Carolina Commerce Department requires employers give advanced notice of mass layoffs of closures. In all of 2019, the department received notices for a little more than 8,000 workers. So far, it's at 20,000 this year. That is just a fraction of those out of work right now.

One furloughed pilot says there is no set date for him, or his coworkers, to return to work.

"When it did come in the email, I was still pretty sad. A lot of my identity for the past 15 years has been tied to aviation. Being a pilot is more than just a job to me. It's who I am as a person," David Hall said. 

Hall says he was one of the lucky ones whose employers continued to pay his health insurance. The state's commerce department tallied 282,947 unemployment insurance claims due to COVID-19 in March alone.

Insurance agents say if you lose employer-sponsored insurance, you can elect to keep it temporarily by paying the full premium yourself. If not, you have 60 days after loss of coverage to apply for a policy under the Affordable Care Act. 

One co-operator of Blue Cross Blue Shield North Carolina says he is starting to see the impact of the virus on health insurance.

"I think we're about to see the rush now. People have been laid off. They've been worried about other things, but we're starting to push 60 days since a lot of people have been laid off, so they really need to act quick and not miss that window," Collins Fulcher said.