“This crisis has laid bare the underlying inequality in the U.S. economy,” said EPI President Thea Lee Friday on MSNBC’s The Last Word hosted by Ali Velshi. Because of these inequities, she added, “we were ill-prepared for this crisis.”

Now, she stressed, we need universal paid sick leave, a health care system that doesn’t bankrupt people, and a stronger unemployment insurance system to “make sure we aren’t as ill-prepared for the next crisis.”