COBRA Subsidies Expire, Leaving Unemployed To Scramble For Healthcare

Laid-off workers who relied on COBRA subsidies to help pay for health insurance saw the benefits end Wednesday. Under the program, the government paid 65 percent of COBRA costs with federal stimulus dollars. Wednesday saw the end of 15 months of extended subsidies for those who lost their jobs between September 2008 and May 2010.

COBRA plans allow former employees to buy company health plans at the discounted group rate. An insurance research analyst tells Delaware Online the obvious: “We’re going to see a fair portion of people becoming uninsured.”

COBRA subsidy expires today [Delaware Online via Kaiser Health News]

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