Update Dec. 21, 2009: President signs bill including COBRA subsidy extension
Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania) introduced the COBRA Subsidy Extension and Enhancement Act (S. 2730) this week in the U.S. Senate. The proposed bill would extend the original federal COBRA subsidy created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), which President Barack Obama signed into law in February.
Under the ARRA, the federal government pays 65% of COBRA premiums for up to nine months for employees who were involuntarily terminated between September 1, 2008, and December 31, 2009. This subsidy is set to expire at the end of this year, and the subsidy will end in November for individuals who have been receiving it since March.
According to Casey’s website, the new subsidy would extend:
- the total allowable time an individual could receive the COBRA subsidy by six months (from nine to 15 months);
- the subsidy to individuals who are involuntarily terminated between January 1, 2010, and June 30, 2010; and
- the subsidy to individuals whose hours are reduced to such a degree that they would be ineligible for employer-sponsored health benefits.
The proposed legislation would also increase the subsidy amount from 65% to 75% of an employee’s premium.
Representative Joe Sestak (D-Pennsylvania) introduced a similar bill, the Extended COBRA Continuation Protection Act of 2009 (H.R. 3930), last week in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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Also, you can keep up with the latest legal changes affecting employer benefits and trends in employee benefits with the Benefits Complete Compliance
This mirrors HR3930 in the House. Either one needs swift passage. Obama authorized an unemployment extension today… Signing this into law seems to be the rational next step.
Please contact your senators and congressmen(women), and urge them to push for prompt passage of these bills… Without the public push behind them, these bills could languish in committees forever…
I lost my job in March and could not have survived without the COBRA subsidy, which will end this month for me. I still am not employed, so will have to cancel my COBRA health insurance come December. PLEASE urge the powers that be to pass this COBRA Subsidy Extension Bill NOW!
Good Day
I was laid off in April 0f 2008 and missed out on the cobra subsidy because this recession supposedly started in Sept of 2008 when we all know it was already in full swing by Jan of 2008 can anyone tell me if I will also be denied an extension on my cobra which expires on 11/30/09 because I was supposedly laid off before the recession began.
Thank You
My husband has been out of work for over a year. We were greatful to find out that we could continue the cobra plan with the assistance of partial payment. He has required alot of medical treatment and surgery. With out this coverage he will not be able to continue his treatment and his health will deteriorate once again. We are in complete panic mode to get at least two more surgery’s done by end of November. I beg of you to get this extension passed before November ends.Please help us to survive this economic tragedy. We are desperate and dont know what to do.
Like, Joe V., I was laid off in April 2008, and was not eligible for the COBRA subsidy. I did a lot of checking and verifying, including with a federal agency that handles appeals of subsidy denials, and everywhere was told that I had no chance of getting the subsidy. My “qualifying event” had to be after August 31, 2008.
I have contacted two sponsors of the bill, asking for a change to this date. That probably ain’t gonna happen.
My COBRA now costs me $1,270 a month for myself only. I can get no other insurance. Because I live in California, my COBRA will last three years. That sounds good, but it’s bad in a way, because COBRA eligibility makes me INeligible for other programs.
I have been laid off since January ’09 and have been paying the 35% subsidy portion of COBRA health insurance. I am still out of work and will be without health insurance by the end of November ’09, when the subsidy stops, unless the subsidy extension bill is passed before the end of November ’09.
Please communicate with your senators and congressmen right away and urge them do all they can to get these bills passed. This subsidy is crucial to so many families that are out of work and can’t afford the full COBRA premium or any other individual health insurance due to high costs and/or pre-existing conditions. Even catastrophic non-group insurance costs are close to COBRA premiums and have huge dedcutibles that have to be met first, upwards of $15,000, before any kind of coverage kicks in.
I have been in contact with my Senator’s local office on a daily basis so he knows that it is important to his constituents.. We ALL need to pick up the phone.. Once the bill is released from committee(s) it needs to be met with an overwhelming YES vote…
PICK UP YOUR PHONES: CALL YOUR SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES AND LET THEM KNOW THIS BILL IS IMPORTANT TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES!!!!
WE’RE NOT WORKING, SO ALL WE HAVE IS TIME… USE IT WISELY!!!
I’ve been unemployed all year. I’ve been paying 1/3 of the Cobra cost for nine months and can’t really afford more than that. I must have continuous coverage due to a pre-existing condition. I was turned down by Bluecross already, so I have no other choice than Cobra. Please pass this bill quickly to extend the Cobra subsidy!! Also, I’ve been trying to start my own business, but may end up abandoning that idea due to insurance needs.
It only makes sense to pass the COBRA ARRA extension. If the number of people currently on ARRA had been without insurance there would have been very little debate about the need for a national program where everyone can get insurance by the fact they are an American citizen or legal resident, not because they work for someone.
we need this subsidy bill to pass otherwise people will have no medical coverage. I have been out of work for 12 months.
This is open enrollment for cobra health insurance. I had to make the decision not to cover myself since the extension has not been voted on. My husband has no other option but stay on Cobra, he is currently taking chemothrapy for stage IV metastic colon cancer, this is his only chance for a little while longer on this earth.If something happens to me my three kids will have no one. On top of that, our home loan modification payments or more than we can afford without the subsidy. What a way to live, having to choose between your health or your home.Happiness isn’t even in the equation.
This subsidy needs to be passed. Those of us on unemployment and those who are no longer receiving any supplemental earnings can’t afford to pay the outrageous price of insurance without it.
EXTEND COBRA SUBSIDY
I am widowed and cannot afford the high medical premiums. After trying to obtain insurance on my own, found that I was uninsurable or exsisting medical condition are excluded. Myself, along with many other fellow Americans, will not be able to otherwise afford medcial insurance, unless the Cobra subsidy is extended.
Cobra subsidy needs to be extended, until the health care systems are in full effect, which will not be until sometime in 2013.
The health care bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Nov. 7 may eliminate the need for Cobra. However; The subsidy extensions are needed because changes to the health care system may not take full effect until 2013.
Myself, along with many other fellow Americans, will not be able to otherwise afford medcial insurance, unless the Cobra subsidy is extended
This has to be approved soon. I’ve been out of work since early this year. I’ve had to have surgery this month…if I didn’t receive the original subsidy, I would have had to pass on my very important surgery as I would not have had insurance. I’m not sure why Obama is sitting on this extension??? We all have to keep pushing and making the calls to get this passed soon.
The House Bill is even better
as it also extends the amount
of time one can have cobra
from 18 months to 24 months.
(besides having the provisions of the Senate one)
My wife and I are at the end of the rope. we cannot find work with helthcare benefits and we cannot get new medical insurance. we need cobra ! please,get this bill passed quickly.
This has been in committee for a week now without an update. I would like to know why this was separated from the Unemployment extension which was rushed through with haste. I have been on this subsidy since January and have not found a job yet, like so many others. If a health care bill, is so important to pass, why isn’t this extension passed; is it stalled?
I have been terminated and been on cobra since March. Just this month I hand my left hand surgically repaired and need the left one done now, it will be impossible to have it done without my cobra extention. Without both hands working it will be impossible to get a job. PLEASE pass this now, mine ends on Dec.
I agree with the comments that have been coming forth. If you are on the 35% Cobra the extension of this by 6 months would bail out unemployed people who are already strapped for cash. Too many people are in the condition of barely hanging on with there unemployment situation. Get this passed quickly!
It would be wonderful if we could get the subsidy and the extension, but did you know that if your are on Cobra and became disabiled during the first three months you are already eligible for an extension. But what they forget to tell us was you have to notify the Cobra Adminstrator with in sixty days of becoming eligible for SSDI. How were we suppose to know this, this is all new to us.Quiet frankly we never thought we would find ourselves scrapping for handouts.
@ Jack: Obama isn’t “sitting on” these bills… They haven’t come into his office yet. There are 2 bills (one house and one senate), and they are both being reviewed in various committees… Not even a floor vote yet.
You want these bills to pass? pressure your reps in DC.
I lost my job in Oct 2008. I was able to survie due to the subsidy program. I hope the bill is passed soon.
My husband has been out of work since last December. Without a subsidy extension, we will have to go without health insurance. I have applied for coverage for my kids at the state level. At this point in time, I do not see my husband landing a job anytime soon. Like everyone else we are hard working educated middle class families who can not aford to pay $1,600 a month in healthcare. We need the subsidy bill to pass!!! Who do I need to call?
I am curious… How many of the commenters here favor COBRA subsidy extensions but oppose public option in health care reform?
Git’r dunn, washington. My insurance goes from $700/month to $2100/month in February at which point I will be insurance poor.
Public option, RIGHT ON!!!!
I lost my job in March 2009 and could not have afforded to purchase COBRA coverage without the subsidy, which will end for me this month. I am now employed but at significantly lower wages–and with no healthcare benefits—so I will have to cancel my COBRA health insurance in December.
PLEASE urge the powers that be to pass this COBRA Subsidy Extension Bill NOW!
This subsidy has reduced the associated high stress level of unemployment. So many things to worry about but not my health coverage for a preexisting condition. I can live without the palty foodstamps I would be eligible for if my state could process applications, as long as I can have medical insurance.
Please pass the subsidy extension bill! I have friends that have lost their job and in this tough economy it’s proving very difficult for them to find work. They are having difficulty paying for healthcare as it is — and it will be an even bigger blow if this extension isn’t passed.
I haven’t been able to even get a bite on employment and my COBRA subsidy runs out at the end of December. We need to get this extension passed before the end of the year or COBRA will be almost unaffordable.
I have been out of work since Feb-09 and was fortunate to be able to have Cobra for myself and two boys. My husband is self employed and we have no other way to obtain health insurance, unless we want to pay an huge amount per month. This bill needs to be passes ASAP as the subsidy ends at the end of November for me as well. I will NOT be able to afford the full price.
I lost my job in December 2008 and could not have afforded to purchase COBRA coverage without the subsidy, which will end for me this month. I am still unemployed This bill needs to be passes ASAP as the subsidy ends at the end of November for me as well. I will NOT be able to afford the full price.
Again, this bill needs to be passed quickly
My reduced cobra runs out next week and
I need to come up with 900.00 to keep coverage.
I hope this passes too because the 65% has been a lifesaver for me. Without it I wouldn’t be able to afford the medication I’m on, and that would make me too sick to even seek work. I hope they hurry because the anticipation is almost too much to bear.
Please,
Just extend it.ASAP. I won,t have insruance after Nov 2009.
I hope this bill passes very soon. We are going to be without insurance if it doesn’t. My payment will triple without this subsidy extension.
Please get this bill passed. My husband was diagnosed with Stage IV Rectal Cancer at the end of February of this year. The following week on March 4th I was laid off due to the recession. My husband has not been able to work since then and has already undergone 8 rounds of chemo, surgery to remove the tumor and was looking at the prospect of liver resectioning and lung surgery due to the spread of the cancer. He went to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America on November 10th and has started advanced chemo on new drugs yesterday. We feel much better having him under the care of CTCA rather than being butchered by a liver surgeon who was dressed like he came from a GQ photo shoot. This is only possible because I was able to continue insurance coverage through COBRA, even though it is still high for me to pay with the COBRA Subsidy Bill. We have two children, ages 6 and 19 months. Ours is only one of many stories of struggling Americans trying to make ends meet with extenuating circumstances. We don’t have family near by and I am the only one working. This bill has to pass. There has to be a reform on healthcare. Stop the greed and fill the need of the people. Please.
I sent both Missouri senators my sentiments on this. I suggest everyone else do the same. It is important this passes.
I was laid off in March 2009 and have been receiving the subsidy for Cobra and paying 35%. As of 1/1/2010 my cobra will be going up an additional $328 which I won’t be able to afford as I’m still not working. Please pass this bill and extend the cobra subsidy for an additional 6 months for everyone who is not working or who is qualified to get this extension. I too have a pre-existing condition and NEED my medical insurance. Thank You!
No Extension! Those of you “fortunate” enough to have been laid off Sept-Dec ’08 have gotten a big break for many months.
WHAT ABOUT MILLIONS OF LONGER-TERM UNEMPLOYED and UNINSURED?!
When laid off from the last full-time job w/ insurance, I was offered COBRA @ more than $900/mo.(myself only) which I could not afford. As a BC survivor, I’ve now been without health insurance for almost 2 years, and presently not even part-time employment.
Apparently those of you mentioned in 1st paragraph (now are crying for an extension), think you are “entitled” to Gov’t-subsidized health insurance, while millions go without any??
PLEASE…PLEASE pass this bill. Things may be getting a little better but we aren’t where we should be yet.
This bill needs to be passed. The intent of the ARRA was for the unemployed to receive a subsidy to help offest the cost of the COBRA plan while unemployment was still high. Well its still high, actually just went over 10% in my state (IL) and the subsidy is running out in the next 40 days. This must be extended.
Hey KT, this site may be helpful for you, sorry about your situation.
http://www.ehealthinsurance.com/ehi/health-insurance/cobra-learning-center.html
Also, what state do you live in?
The program I worked for was cut in May and my cobra costs will be more than half of what I bring in with unemployment if the subsidy is not extended. Then, there is my mortgage, etc. I have a health condition that makes it imperative to stay insured…but how? Although I am in the process of retraining, I won’t be likely to have a job until next fall. There needs to be some provision for people in this position.
Hey KT,
We have been in your shoes before, but for so many of us the subsidy is the only way we can continue health care, when you have lost your job and were diagnosed with cancer all in the same breathe and because you have worked all your life, and have a few things to show for it, your not eligible for other state or federal programs, and believe me SSDI is not enough to pay for everything. Sure we have had to burn through our savings and have sold any luxuries but it still isn’t enough to support a family of five and continue health care. Don’t lump people into a catergories because often times there are circumstances beyond their control.
I was laid off in April of this year, I also was diagnosed with cancer at the same time. The Cobra subsidy has literally saved us from bankruptcy. My husband and I are only employed part-time and I am still receiving unemployment benefits. I urge you to pass this bill immediately. Not much has changed since it first went into effect, and those of us who are still not employed are struggling enough trying to make ends meet. We do not need the added stress of not having health insurance.
In March of this year I was diagnosed with breast cancer, this following a stroke that paralyzed my left side and a uncontrollable diabetes. My wife was laid off the following month thus we enrolled in Cobra, however, our financial calamities have escalated, we lost our home, we had to move in with our sons and their friend and at age 64 I am just waiting to diem the pain of radiation therapy is unbearaable but without insurance coverage will simply get so much worse, we need to pass this cobra extension.
My 9 month subsidy for family Cobra health insurance ends the last day of Novemeber. Please help and sign the extention. I am trying diligently to find work. I never was unemployed until this year at the age of 49. Your consideration in this dire matter would be appreciated. NJ here
Has anyone heard anything about WHEN the powers that be in Washington might vote on the COBRA subsidy extension?? I’ve been searching everywhere online and can only find information that says the bills were introduced, but nothing that says when they might be up for a vote. TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR MANY OF US!
– 49 and out of work for first time in 25 yrs
– Applied to over 500 jobs in less than a year
– Need COBRA gov’t subsidized
This is a downer but it is the reality.
Here’s the biggest problem: Check the stats.
If most companies are laying off mostly white males, mid-40’s and older, why would companies hire that type. Obama needs to provide incentives for companies to hire this most devoted, experienced and hardest working type. WE ARE NOT OBSOLETE. It seems that the ones that can be depended on and have a proven track record are the ones getting axed to be replaced by inexperienced workers that they can pay less. Bottom line: You get what you pay for.
Please pass this bill. My family of five will not be able to survive under the current economy situation. TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR US!!
I would appreciate it very much if you could pass this legislation as we need badly an
extension of this cobra subsidy.To pay a regular cobra premium is unaffordable because am not employed.Thank you.
I was so grateful for the Cobra subsidy, it meant I would be able to still have healthcare for my family while I was out of work. It allowed me to keep my head “just above water level” for a short time. I didn’t expect to be out of work for this long though! Now with the cobra subsidy ending I expect I will go under pretty fast as my emergency fund is now gone and there is little money to work with. If the subsidy is not extended soon I will be just another number… one of the people (with families) that have gone under…..never thought I would be in this situation this late in life…..what did I do wrong????
I lost my job in Jan 2009, and the cobra subsidy has bveen a godsend. I have only been able to manage to find a little per diam work, but there are no benifits. My subsidy will expire in Jan 10 and I Am hoping that there is an extension. My husband has been treated for cancer this year and I am afraid we would not quailfy for any other health insurance, nor can we afford it.
I am 62 (63 in April ’10) and lost my job in Nov of ’08. It’s impossible to find a job in my field at my age. Unfortunately, I can’t stand in place for more than an hour, so retail jobs are out of the question, but I’m still trying. My Cobra supplement ends Nov and then rises to $380 a mo for next 9 mos. I should keep it up due to medical reasons, and possible stent operation in Jan/Feb. So I have to choose between Cobra and paying my mortgage and eating. This is not right. I’ve exhausted savings, etc. and thank God have no credit card debt. But still…. I had to take early SS at 62, something I didn’t want to do just to make ends meet. Even with SS, I can’t afford the $380 Cobra. PLEASE extend Cobra. Also think about lowering medicare eligibility age for those who have lost jobs.
I just wrote to my congressman and senators.
Here is what I said (feel free to copy & paste to send to your representatives)
Please extend the Cobra subsidy soon! My benefits will be running out soon and this has been a lifesaver since I got laid off.
Here are some other stories of people who need it:
http://blogs.hrhero.com/hrnews/2009/11/06/senators-introduce-another-cobra-subsidy-extension-bill/
Thank you!
My father lost his job at the end of last year and has been unable to obtain a new one. Now our family’s COBRA health insurance is going up in December and my parents can’t afford it. The monthly cost will be $1,300! Please pass the bill to extend COBRA subsidy. There are so many desperate people who need this to survive. Please pass this ASAP!
Thank you
Like all of you I am in the same boat, Tuesday I will have to write a check for $914, because my nine months are up. So the games begins on who gets paid and who doesn’t can’t afford not to keep the insurance, spent 2 days in the hospital pneumonia,and now have an $1,800. deductable to pay which is better than the $8,000 the insurance paid.
I can’t understand why these bills are not getting any attention. Writing my state reps have yet to get a reply.
Lost my job in May of 2009 the COBRA subsidy really helps my family get through these tough times. We really need to push to get this package through congress.This is terrible that the heart of the working class asking for additional support and the sense of urgency needs to get addressed and get the help we have ask for.
Thank you
PLEASE PASS THE COBRA EXTENSION. I too did not think at the age of 55 I would be laid off and have a very uncertain future. I was laid off Feb,09 and have used the affordable Cobra insurance since March. It has been reasonably priced and I am unable to go without health insurance. Right now I am working a temporary position with no benefits. I am still in the hunt for a permanent position with benefits but have not yet found one.
Your help would be so appreciated by millions.
Thank you.
Funny how the bailout money for Wall Street got rushed right through, but help for the common people moves at a snails pace.
If anyone in my family dies because of not having coverage or being refused coverage, I will be making a trip to Washington with my “little friend”.
BECAME UNEMPLOYED IN APR 2009 AFTER COMPLICATIONS FROM SURGERY. LOST JOBS BECAUSE OF EXTENDED ILLNESS AND HAVE TO BE ON SSD NOW. NO HEALTH INSURANCE FOR 2 YRS WITH SSD. I CARRIED INSURANCE FOR FAMILY. IF LAW IS NOT EXTENDED FOR COBRA PREMIUM REDUCTION, I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO AFFORD IT JAN 2010. I’M ON OXYGEN 24/7 AND HAVE MANY MEDICAL NEEDS AS I RECOVER. I HAVE NO OPTIONS. HUSBANDS EMPLOYER OFFERS NO INSURANCE. HIS INCOME OF 30K AND MY SSD DOESN’T QUALIFY FOR OTHER PROGRAMS. I DON’T MIND PAYING FOR MY PREMIUM WHEN I CAN AFFORD IT. COSTS ARE TOO HIGH FOR INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES IN THIS SITUATION. UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES PUT ME IN THIS POSITION AND I CAN’T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT AT THIS POINT. PLEASE HELP TO KEEP ME ALIVE AND A POSSIBILITY TO GET HEALTHY AND BACK TO WORK. THANK YOU!
Last week, I wrote both my senator and my congressman in NYC. Now what? An unemployed march on Washington?
Is there a lobbying group of the unemployed I can join to pressure Congress?
Isn’t Obama aware that he’s worsening the health insurance problem by not insisting Congress extend the COBRA subsidy. If we can’t get COBRA subsidies extended…forget the health bill passing.
Help! My husband is still unemployed and the holidays are upon us. Our Cobra payment will jump from $415.00 to nearly $1200.00 on Dec. 1st! We simply can’t afford it! We need to extend the subsidy for at least another 6 months…We’re drowning here! Please vote yes, and speed up the vote!
PLEASE expedite the COBRA extension! I have been out of work since March after being laid off. My husband has not worked for almost 2 years after being laid off and disabled by cronic illness. He has been on Social Security Disability for less than a year and does not qualify for Medicare yet. I have carried medical insurance for both of us for many years. Without the subsidy, my COBRA payments will be well over $1,000 a month. Without my medical insurance, the price of just one of the medications my husband must take is $1,600 every 4 weeks. I have to pay my medical insurance first and my mortgage and food come second. I am sure there are many others out ther in similar situations. We all need a little help here. Please.
Please I am begging you to pass this extension tomorrow!! My 2 year old son has fluid in his ears for months and needs to have tubes put in. Our Cobra is ending this month and we cannot afford the thousands of dollars this will cost. He is so uncomfortable with painful earaches and risking hearing loss if we dont do it soon. Why is this decision taking sooo long. Please I am begging you for my 2 year old son.
Please pass the COBRA extension!! I have pre-existing conditions that would preclude me private health insurance. Both my husband and I were laid off…We would not have had coverage, nor afforded health coverage without this COBRA subsidy.
Please, please, please.
Please, please pass the COBRA extension. I’ve already lost my job and if the COBRA extension doesn’t happen I’ll probably loss my house too. Why is Washington sitting on this? Please help.
Forget the Tiger Woods story, we need to address extending the Cobra subsidy, my Cobra is going to increase by $300 this month ($589 total), people who have lost jobs need to have the subsidy extended. Hopefully the job market will get better and we can find work with benefits, but WE need help NOW!
R.A.
it’s now december 3rd and no progress has been made on an extension, and the subject has been eerily avoided/neglected by the media. i know obama is busy, but are those of us relying on the subsidy extension supposed to hold our breath until december 31 when nothing has still been done? hop to it! there are a lot of us on main street whose lives are in upheaval because of the greed on wall street, and now washington is turning a blind eye.
I am not going to forget how our Representatives sadistically let this subsidy expire. What kind of society are we living in when treatable illnesses are going to go untreated? Instead of practicing “trickle down economics”, they should practice “trickle up economics” because the only thing trickling down on us is you know what.
I also find it funny that most people against health care reform are the ones with lifetime benefits earned with our tax money. (State and Federal workers, teachers, cops, fireman etc.) I guess it is okay for our taxes to pay for their health insurance but when it comes time for their tax dollars to pay for ours, it becomes a problem. My taxes go up at least 8% a year and is mainly due to health insurance increases in my town.
Because of the media’s lack of coverage many people are unaware of the life and death situation that many families are now grappling with. We’ve paid for illegal immigrant’s healthcare for years and continue to do so. The Media fails to report that as well. This is an outrage. My good wishes go out to those in need.
Help is maybe on the way!!! This is from Yahoo Finance page under Obama,lawmakers target bailout fund for jobs bill.
Pelosi said the jobs measure would come on top of a “safety net” initiative that would again extend unemployment payments for those whose benefits have run out and renew a program that offers the jobless a 65 percent subsidy for health insurance premiums under the COBRA program. The safety net measure, while costly, is expected to pass later this month as part of an unrelated spending bill, but the jobs legislation is likely to have to wait until next year.
One new idea Democrats and the White House are looking at is a program to give people cash incentives to retrofit their homes with energy-saving materials along the lines of the Cash for Clunkers program that boosted car sales this summer.
Dropping in on a session called “Innovative Agenda and Green Jobs of the Future,” Obama said, “Not to tip our hand too much, but one of the things I would be surprised if we don’t end up moving forward on is an aggressive agenda for energy efficiency and weatherization. Because that is an area where we can get it up and running relatively quickly. You don’t need new technologies.”
Obama cited the success of Cash for Clunkers, noting that car companies carried much of the marketing responsibilities that helped make the effort so popular. Home improvement companies like Home Depot would be key as partners in any future jobs program focusing on energy efficiencies, Obama told company chairman Frank Blake.
The president’s critics, though, gave no ground. As Obama prepared to visit Allentown, Pa., former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s policy organization placed an ad in the local newspaper asking: “Mr. President, Will you listen to America’s job creators?”
The group, American Solutions, urged the president to cut the estate tax, reduce federal spending, give small businesses incentives to grow and abolish taxes on investment income.
We now know what a cruel and uncaring country we live in. Millions of unemployed, who lost their jobs through no malfeasance on their parts, are now suffering additional stress wondering if/or when the COBRA subsidy will be extended. Why was it so easy to renew Cash for Clunkers and the First Time Home Buyer program, but not the COBRA subsidy extension?
I have contact my representatives numerous times, but have either received a boiler plate response or none at all. Our elected officials need to remember that they owe their jobs to we the people! and that they can be on the dole after too after the next election. We need jobs back, but until that happens we need health care. How many people will have to make the difficult choice of putting food on the table or paying the onerous COBRA payment?
Oh and btw – Merry Christmas. I’m sure your Thanksgiving, just like mine, was a barrel of laughs.
What good is health insuranceif noone can afford it? it appears the only people who can qualify for health insurance are those in perfect health. I was laid off earlier this year and my wife earns a marginal income. I have a bad leg and we desparately need health care. This subsidy has been a Godsend and enabled us to stay in our home. We too, pray that our Senators and Congressmen will do the right thing and extend this subsidy. In view of the current state of the economy and flailing job market, six months is not long enough and should be extended at least a year.
I fail to understand how any responsible elected representative, Democrat and Republican can not see the absolute necessity for this extension. I am calling my Senator and Congressman and urging them to pass this extension immediately. It’s a shame where people have to choose against dying, staying ill or eating and keeping a roof over their heads. Let’s keep inviting the millions of immigrants to our country so they can continue to take our jobs and ruin our way of life. I live in Fairfax, Virginia but by lookibng around you would think I live in some 3rd world country where all the aliens and immigrants have all the jobs and health insurance. I am just sick of this. Where has the real America gone?
I agree with all of you. Our COBRA premium is now $1495.00 per month. We could barely pay the reduction for the past nine months with being unemployed. We are the ones who put politicians in their “jobs”, now they can give something back to the people. What Christmas?
My husband is losing his job on December 23rd, and it turns out we are not even eligible for the ORIGINAL Cobra subsidy because of a stupid technicality in the way the law was written. You have to lose your job before December 31, 2009 AND be eligible for Cobra before December 31st. Anyone who has ever worked in The Real World knows that companies continue your insurance coverage through the end of the month after termination. So we are screwed unless this subsidy passes, even though we SHOULD be eligible for the original subsidy. How stupid is that?!?!?
Help pass the cobra extension! Unemployed for the 1st time ever and diagnosed with dystonia. Health coverage costs are out of control!
How many people will have to die before the government will protect those that (for the first time in 20 – 30 years) are out of work and cannot find work or get hired due to age discrimination. How many comapanies are now hiring those that were laid off (majority is between 45 and 59 years)? We here about the gov’t. extending this bill but since it has stagnated, what do we do? Do we not pay it because we cannot afford to, and lose COBRA altogether? Or do we use 75% of our unemployment to pay for COBRA and not pay our mortgage and lose our home. Either way we will either die without healthcare or we will have excellent healthcare and live in the streets. Tough to get a job when you live in the streets or you are to sick to go to an interview if you get one.
Where is the balance? Are these programs supposed to provide help or false hope? If the latte was the govt’s goal, mission accomplished. If it is to provide help, you missed the target. I have never had to depend on the gov’t for assistance until now. Boy, the government really dropped the ball on this one. TO the 20 million out of work, and their friends and families, remember this when you vote next time to keep these useless people in office. You might want to try someone else than those that feel they need to do nothing for the current struggles and just be a mouthpiece for non-existent need.
Bah Humbug!!
What a joke these guys are. They pass out billions upon billions to the bloated Wall Street execs without blinking a eye. Wall street then hands out bonuses, spitting in the face of you and I as our Reps do nothing. The same Reps who gave Wall street their bonuses to purchase luxury items are now telling us that our health is too expensive. The rolex for John Q. Exec is more important to them than life saving medication for our loved ones. Criminal if you ask me.
The 65% Cobra Bill that was in place had allowed my husband and I to have health care coverage, but that has expired as of December 1,2009.
I am aware that Senator Casey ( PA ) has a Bill to Extend the Cobra Discount for the unemployed.
We are both unemployed and we urge you to please support this bill and to pass it immediatly.
If there is anything we as United
States Citizens can do to speed this process up, please call or email and let us know what to do. We are in a desperate situation as I am sure millions of others are.
Even at $578.00 we have had to borrow money from our children to pay for the Cobra@ $578.00 a month. Our Children have 2 Autistic children and Medical
Coverage does not cover their special needs such as Speech Therapy etc.- We appreciate the help you Mr President have given to us in the past with 65% Discount.WE are now asking you to please immediatly continue this.
Please let the House and Senate know how important this is and to take very quick action
It is urgent that your bill get passed before the end of December 2009.(see below)
I know we are not alone in this, my husband and I have many medical conditions, from heart (I have had a heart attack, my husband has atrial fibrillation), we are both
Diabetic, high blood pressure, Asthma, & Colitis/ Chron”s Disease to name a few.
Our Premiums on the COBRA DISCOUNT were $578.00 per month and they are now over $1700.00 per month as of December 1, 2009.
Without Cobra at a rare we can possibly pay, our
Retail medications alone, using s discount card would run at least $4,000.00 per month with no Health
Care.
Our medications with the Cobra Insurance ( using generics wherever we could) ran us approximately almost $500.00 per month.
Without our Cobra and with a Drug Store Discount card they will run us about $4,000.00 per month. Then we would have to add in over $1700.00 in Cobra Premiums.
There is no way for us to do this. We are looking for jobs and hopefully with benefits, but have not had any success.
We are in our early 60’s and not eligible for Medicare or Medicaid and have no savings.
I know that we as well as millions of others greatly need help for this Cobra Discount to be extended immediately. If our premiums are not paid before the end of the month (Dec31,2009) Cobra will just drop everyone and once dropped you cannot get it back and due to all the pre-existing conditions , no one will cover us.
I pray for us as well as everyone else in this situation, that our Government will be there and reinstate the 65% Discount or many of us may not make it at all without the Medications and medical care.
Thank you again for your help
Subsidy ended Nov 30. Cost going from $290 mo to $719. Unemployment is $1600mo. Out of work a year. Continued to pay bills and mortgage the only way I could – my 401k. That is dwindling and I am also going to be penalized by utilizing this money. Had to to live. How is this right???
I lost my job in March and as of Dec. 1, my cobra subsidy stops. Cobra is going to cost $360 per month. I have a pre-existing condition and will not be afford private insurance. This subsidy needs to be passed NOW.
I have been unemployed for one year. I was an office manager for a nonprofit. I’ve been getting the subsidized Cobra for medical and dental. Now it’s over as of Dec 1, 2009. I can’t afford to pay full price for insurance. My mother and brother had unexpected strokes this past year. My mother passed recently and my brother remains in a nursing home. My brother wants me to keep my insurance in case anything serious happens to to me because now I’m virtually alone. I’ve never seen the job market so impenetrable as this. If we lose insurance, then Medicaid costs will go up when he are seriously sick. We need new solutions. This is uncharted territory. 10% of the country out of work. Where will the jobs comes from? When will the recovering economy translate to us being hired back to the workplace?
Another day goes by and nothing new. All I hear about is how this subsidy expires 12/31/09. IT HAS ALREADY EXPIRED FOR PEOPLE THAT WERE ENROLLED IN MARCH!!!! Why are they dragging their feet on this? This is a snapshot of our government at work and clearly illustrates why this Country is in the situation it is in.
I too am losing the subsidy Dec. 31 and my monthly premium is skyrocketing from $500 to more than $1,500. The very institutions that led to this unemployment crisis got bailed out (BY US); their CEOs and top employees got FAT bonuses; illegals get FREE health care (thanks to OUR tax dollars); and the very people fighting this subsidy (the big employers who laid so many off, and the elected officials who have CADILLAC health care THANKS TO OUR TAX DOLLARS) are working hard to ensure we don’t get it. We have the $$ to chase terrorists in Afghan caves, but none to take care of our own…This country has become a HORRIBLE place. SHAME on the greedy people of this country.
I feel the need to explain the other side of this. My company is self funded – meaning we pay an administrative fee to a company to process claims for us, and the funds to pay providers come from our account. Although ARRA “subsidizes 65% of the cost” of coverage, our COBRA rates are based on our average claims cost, and many COBRA participants incur much higher than normal claims, so in the end our company is paying a significant portion of the cost for these “subsidized” individuals. We have one claimant who has had over $200,000 in claims this year alone. I totally sympathize with her situation, but unfortunately her claims will be costing others their jobs due to the additional expenses. Our active employees also saw a 50% increase in their contribution to medical premiums because of the increases in cost due to ARRA. (Family coverage costs our active employees $400 per month now.) This is why some may not be rushing out to expand the subsidy. In the end, people need jobs, and companies can’t add jobs if they are buried in medical expense. Perhaps there is some other option – expansion of state or goverment insurance plans already in place to those who need it rather than asking employers to pay for these higher costs? I know congress meant well with the subsidy, but it has resulted in many jobs being lost already and could result in more – a downward spiral that needs to stop.
Your reply is kindly and thoughtfully written, but I must take issue with the implications of the statement that “COBRA participants incur much higher than normal claims.” While this may be true in your company’s case, and may be part of some trend developed by bean counters or actuaries, this implies that people who’ve lost their jobs are either gaming the system or are just generally “sicker” than employed people. Moreover, to punish unemployed people and force them to pay ridiculously high premiums because they have too many claims is like taking a water dish away from a dog because he’s too thirsty. If employers are getting saddled with excessive COBRA premiums because the people they laid off tend to be sicker, these companies should be seeking reform of the very system that punishes THEM – the health care system. It’s easy for people who have jobs to tell those who don’t to go seek help somewhere else. The last thing unemployed Americans who are struggling to keep their homes and put food on the table need is to be punished even more. Just my opinion.
E. Grimley is absolutely correct. The poor, the unemployed, and the sick. Why doesn’t one of these politician step up and do the right thing? Anyone can have a job one day, and not one, the next. Anyone can be healthy one minute, and very sick, the next!!
Very well said, Grimley, I must say. Another possible and probable reason is that some companies may target the older or sickly employee for layoff. The Company that I was laid off from also laid off a 68 yr old woman a 67 yr old man who had been with the company 46 years. There were other options other than lay them off but age discrimination is one of the hardest to prove without a smoking gun. They also hire illegal aliens with fake identification who not only get medicaid but brag about it. No co-pays, dental, eyeglass nothing but the best. Letters to ICE and Homeland security go without action.
I lost my job in February and still looking for another one. Job market is very tough now.
It was very helpfull to get reduction in Cobra premium. From December I will have to pay the full premium; my unemployment benefits is expiring in January as well. What should I do. I am single woman! And I have medical problems.
Please pass the bill sooner!
Our subsidy expired Dec. 1. Had to pay $1459 for December COBRA. To continue coverage into January, will need to come up with $1725 by Dec. 31. This is INSANE.
Husband forced to retire on SS Disability. Needs ongoing medical care but won’t be eligible for Medicare until August 2010 (SSD requires a 2-year wait for Medicare).
Lost my job more than a year ago. With the job went our insurance. I need eye surgery and cancer screening.
We have worked hard all our lives, never relied on the system or anyone else to take care of us and our family. Does this make us more eligible than anyone else for the extended COBRA subsidy? Of course not.
It’s simply an illustration of how many of us there are in this country whose stories differ in detail but whose situations are the same: DESPERATE.
I’ve called and e-mailed local and state policiticians and even e-mailed the federal committee that currently has the extension bill under review. The response? Nothing. Not a letter, not a phone call, not an e-mail.
And this is “Government, by the people, for the people?” Ha! More aptly, it’s “Government, by the rich and powerful for the rich and powerful. The rest be damned.”
You can bet our leaders in Washington DC will have an enjoyable, relaxed holiday season without worrying about how they’ll get medical treatment without insurance.
How about you?
Signed,
Scared, Angry & Disgusted
Scared, Angry & Disgusted,
We are in the same situation, and with two kids. I can’t understand why someone in Washington doesn’t know what health insurance means to a family (since they “talk about it so much”),and how can the unemployed possibly pay almost $2,000.00 per month to keep your insurance, or have none? Government For the People! Right.
Extend the COBRA subsidy now (yes, this is the obvious one)
Next, we need meaningful health care reform….soon (IMO single government payer, or true public option available to anyone).
Watch and listen. Learn which politicians are behind the insurance companies and the status quo. In the next election cycle, fire anyone who will not support real healthcare reform.
Eric
YES PLEASE!!! PASS THIS QUICKLY!!!
I have been unemployed for 9 months now and one of the few things that is keeping me above water is the COBRA discount. Without it, I would not be able to afford health care for my 10 year old daughter and 11 year old son.
PLEASE!
Dear Scared, Angry & Disgusted,
Thank for nailing it on the head. I never thought I’d live long enough to say this, but the USA is no longer a true democracy. It is essentially a “corporatocracy,” a system in which high-paid lobbyists and PACs pull the strings of practically every elected official out there. They write the legislation and pay whatever it takes to get it into law to serve their own best interests. Remember, U.S. law recognizes a corporation as an individual, with many of the same rights. Anyone who thinks the person they vote for on Nov. 4 is truly representing the needs of the citizens who sent them to Washington is sadly, and I mean SADLY mistaken.
Didn’t the bill get passed yesterday?
I read A bill was passed by the House on Dec. 16 extending the subsidy another 6 months, but given how health care reform is bogged down in the Senate, what are the chances of it passing there? We shall see..
Who gives a @#$%^^&&!@ about Tiger Woods, and all of the other crazy folks in the news!
What about all of us unemployed and underemployed workers that have REAL PROBLEMS.
This COBRA subsidy is desperately needed by so many families and it is the holidays and yet no news about this issue whatsoever in the media. They are too busy covering the lives of multimillionaires. Who cares? What about working families that have been totally scr–ed in this recession. They don’t seem to matter.
It was voted on today and was PASSED!!!
We have 6 More months. Pres will sign next week. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
I have read the comments and realized that we are NOT alone. I never dreamed so many were in the same boat. My husband has happily and faithfully worked for over 50 years when a stroke took that away this year. For the last 10 years he has commuted over 200 miles a DAY to work construction in DC (we live in WV where the jobs & pay are scarce) Now he is on SSD (which we had to “fight” for)and receive the reduction (which we had to “fight” for). Our reduction runs out next month and even though his check would cover the full payment, we would have to give up things we enjoy like FOOD and HEAT and ELECTRIC. PLEASE PLEASE tell me this bill has passed and that we can survive for another 6 months! KRF I am believing in what you commented–THANX.
KRF,
So, if the President signs this next week, will the December 2009 premium be the reduced amount or the triple amount that was billed, for those that have been on the reduced premium that ended in November 2009?
Thanks,
LM
LM,
My subsidy ran out 11/30 I paid $869 for December, my understanding is that my former employer(who I write the check to) can refund the differnce or use the over payment towards Jan payment. Hope this helps.
so are you saying that this now has passed the Senate as well as the House?
You know folks we are all in the same boat on this, alot of us are in 50’s & 60’s, most have health issue that make it impossible to get insurance. We have gotten 6 extra months, but what is going to happen to us in June? We need to apply pressure to Washington so that some form of health care is available to us in June. I read that 7 million are on COBRA, that is alot of voters!
Yes it passed yesterday. President said he will sign the bill this week and it will be law.
you are right KRF. Something has got to be done on a more permanent basis. why do we need to pay taxes for the pending health care bill for 3 years before it becomes available? Why can’t the COBRA option just be made into the available option moving forward and not just for another 6 months.
Folks,
double click December 16th update and the top of this page and it take you to info on the law
IT HAS PASSED AND IS NOW LAW. Straight from the horse’s mouth here: http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/newsroom/2009/ebsa122109.html
Thank God for that.
Merry Christmas, and I hope that next year is better than this last one.
The law just passed and my cobra open enrollment ended on Dec 7th. I could not afford the increased cobra premiums so I found other insurance elsewhere. I am still covered under cobra until 12/31 but because the open enrollment has ended for my I was unable to continue under cobra. I do not think this is fair since I am still covered under cobra. I am still unemployed and can barely afford the premiums.
Can someone explain this to me (in English) Do I get the reduction for TWO more months or an additonal 6 months when ours runs out in January?? Thank you ALL for so much needed information and support. WE ARE ALL in this together and the unity is appreciated and needed if we are to win this battle. Thanx again.
“I am pleased Congress has acted and the President has signed the Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Appropriations Act. The act extends the eligibility period for the COBRA premium reduction for an additional two months (through Feb. 28, 2010) and the maximum period for receiving the subsidy for an additional six months (from nine to 15 months). Millions of unemployed Americans and their families will be better able to afford and keep their health benefit coverage because of this new law.
How do I get my former employer to incorporate this into our plan? I can’t afford a $1555.00 family plan. As of now we,my family have no insurance. Please help.
dnewton72@gmail.com
left work under FMLA after 12 weeks , lost my job and my benefits 7/09 but I remained on a ” leave of abscence” for 14 weeks during that time I had spinal surgery and remain on restricted activity today..This ‘leave of abscence’ is considered my quaif event for the ARRA subsidy and of course I was ineligable since I was on leave of abscence not seperated from the company limbo land…I was officslly seperated from the company ‘terminated’ 10/09 (involuntary) However this, what I consider my qualifing event has been determined by my former employer to not count as as a qualifing event for AARA assistance
They claim that my one and only event was in july I cannot help but believe that this action by the employer is an act to take advantage of a loophole of what is voluntary/involuntary and what is a qualifing event
ALSO I was unaware that as a disabled person I could have asked for an extension of COBRA itself…
This ARRA is so great
for many but really rots for those excluded.
I totally fit the ARRA requirement of being involuntairly terminated with in the stated dates
But for the ‘fine print’
I am sure there are many disabled people that lost their jobs under this ‘leave if abscence’ quise. loophole