Take Action for COBRA Subsidy Extension
February 18, 2010
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A last-minute provision put in place by Congress which allows jobless workers to receive up to 15 months of help with COBRA payments is set to expire.
After February 28, 2010, anyone who loses their job will not only be out of work, but possibly out of health coverage. Without the 65 percent COBRA subsidy – which has been estimated to cut the average family premium from $1,137 a month to $398 – many newly unemployed workers will not be able to afford coverage. The average monthly unemployment insurance benefit is $1,333.
The February deadline was part of a two-month extension granted by Congress just before the start of the New Year. But this recession is far from over. The ranks of 30 million jobless will only continue to grow. So as the deadline nears, what is to become of the thousands of Americans who will lose their jobs after February 28 th?
Laid-off workers struggling financially to make ends meet should not have to worry about health insurance premiums that exceed 80 percent of their unemployment income.
Click here to demand Congress acts now to extend eligibility for the COBRA subsidy.
