Word: health
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the federal subsidies pay 65% of the cost of COBRA premiums. Originally, the subsidy was to expire after nine months and unemployed families would have seen their health care premiums spike on average from $389 to $1,111 per month. This tripling of cost could have caused many families to drop their health care coverage just as Congress is on the cusp of passing the most far-reaching health care reform legislation in history. (See the Cheapskate blogger on COBRA...
...Casey, also a Democrat, says the legislation will help the "many middle class families struggling to get by." Workers who were involuntarily terminated from their jobs between September 1, 2008 and Dec. 31, 2009 are eligible for the subsidy that helps individuals and families continue on employer-sponsored health insurance. The new legislation, part of the $636.3 billion fiscal year 2010 defense spending bill, extends the subsidy from nine to 15 months and opens the program to workers who will be laid off between Jan. 1, 2010 and Feb. 28, 2010 as well...
Former Admiral, now Congressman, Joe Sestak, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, told the House of Representatives, "Hardworking people who have suffered most from the mistakes of others should not have to decide between trying to meet an enormous expense or going without health care." With nearly 15 million Americans looking for work, Sestak said the health care bills being debated by Congress may eliminate the need for COBRA, but that those provisions, if included in the final bill that reaches President Obama's desk, may not take effect until...
...late Senator Edward Kennedy's major accomplishments in the health care field, COBRA (the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986) enables discharged workers to stay on their employer's group health plan for up to 18 months. Unlike the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), COBRA does not require the employer to pay the cost of providing continuing coverage. Instead, it allows employees and their dependents to maintain coverage at their own expense by paying the full price of the premium plus an administration fee. The Joint Committee on Taxation, a non-partisan group focused on government finance, estimates...
...with health care premiums skyrocketing the past two decades, many unemployed workers cannot afford COBRA. Across the 50 states, the average unsubsidized monthly COBRA premium of $1,111 gobbles up 83% of the average unemployment check of $1,333, according to a December report by Families USA. In nine states, the average COBRA premium exceeds the average unemployment benefit. In Mississippi, for example, the average unsubsidized COBRA premium is $1,027, while the average monthly unemployment check is $839. In 2009, the annual cost of the average health care plan in the United States was $13,375 for a family...