COBRA Extension Excluded In Unemployment Leaves 2M More Uninsured
By Audrey Howard on July 26, 2010, 6:47 amDue to Senate votes of Republicans and one Democrat voting against the Cobra extension of health premiums for unemployed workers, Cobra health premiums will not be paid by the federal government and those unemployed who have been unemployed for more than 26 months will not get their health premiums or Cobra paid by the federal government even if they get their unemployed benefits restored.
How Does Cobra Work
Cobra pays up to 65% of health benefits to unemployed workers. It is a federally funded program that lets the unemployed continue with health benefits that they might have had while employed although verification of said fact is never really done. However, the Cobra health benefits cease after 26 months of unemployment.
What Is Causing The Recent Cobra Fervor
Although the recent unemployment bill extending unemployment to more than 2 million workers who have been unemployed for more than 26 months was passed by the Senate and signed by President elect Barack Obama, last week, Cobra which was supposedly a part of the unemployment bill was removed and not passed.
What Does That Mean About Cobra And Extension Of Benefits
Unemployed workers who have been unemployed for more than 26 months will not have their Cobra benefits restored. Those workers who have had their unemployment restored may be offered the option of paying for their own Cobra premiums to continue their Cobra health insurance coverage. The problem the Senate is facing concerns the ever growing and looming recession appearing unemployment of more than 10 million unemployed workers, many of whom are still collecting Cobra until they reach the 26 month limit.
Related posts:
- Unemployment Extension And COBRA Health Insurance: Latest Summary
- Will Cobra Extension Give Relief To The Health Of Unemployed Americans?
- Senate Unemployment Extension Bill: How Soon Will I Get My Check
- Unemployment Extension Checks: The Latest On COBRA Insurance Subsidy
- COBRA Health Ins: What It Now Means To The Unemployed & Jobless
[...] COBRA Extension Excluded In Unemployment Leaves 2M More Uninsured [...]
I guess I’m one of the lucky ones to be able to have Cobra. Yeah right!!!! Now my premiums are $513 each month and that is just coverage for myself. I have preexisting conditions in the past and that makes me almost ineligible for any standard insurance. I am not going to be able to continue with Cobra at that premium cost.
This article is replete with inaccuracies. It is not true that 2 million people are losing their COBRA subsidy, and the 26-month unemployment compensation period has absolutely nothing to do with COBRA–these laws do not interact in any way.
The facts: anyone who was involuntarily terminated on or before May 31, 2010, is eligible for 15 months of COBRA subsidy.
If someone is being terminated involuntarily at the end of September 2010, are they eligable for Cobra with the goverment paying 65% of the premium?