COBRA Benefits Extension – Obama Supports COBRA Until June 2010?
Posted on | December 8, 2009 | 9 Comments
As many of you know COBRA benefits are set to expire on December 31st, 2009. Recently we have heard that President Obama supports the extension of COBRA until June 2010. In Minnesota, Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken strong support the extension of COBRA as 10% unemployment and the rise in heating bills is going to greatly hurt the wallets of millions of Americans.
The two Minnesota Democrats signed a bill with 22 other senators to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid asking for a vote to extend COBRA benefits through June of 2010; the senators feel the issue should be voted on before the expiration date of December 31st, 2009. At the present time, a 65% subsidy of premium costs for COBRA benefit holders will expire at the end of 2009. The bills submitted to Congress ask for an increase to 75% subsidies along with an extension through June 2010.
Also in legislation is a bill to extend unemployment benefits by $25 a week and stop the income tax on the first $2400 of any unemployment benefit that is received from those who are currently without a job. Those who are pushing for the extension of COBRA and unemployment benefits are listed below:
Debbie Stabenow
Bob Casey, Jr.
Tom Harkin
Amy Klobuchar
Al Franken
Ben Cardin
Robert Menendez
Herb Kohl
Ron Wyden
Daniel K. Akaka
Jack Reed
Sherrod Brown
Arlen Specter
Sheldon Whitehouse
Jeanne Shaheen
Frank R. Lautenberg
Barbara Boxer
Carl Levin
Roland W. Burris
Kirsten E. Gillibrand
Jeffrey A. Merkley
Ted Kaufman
Christopher Dodd
Dianne Feinstein
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Author: Jesse Wojdylo
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9 Responses to “COBRA Benefits Extension – Obama Supports COBRA Until June 2010?”
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December 8th, 2009 @ 1:33 pm
When will we and how will we know if and when it has been extended? Mine is due to expire Dec 31. I have alot of pending medical issues that requires me to maintain coverage.
December 8th, 2009 @ 3:02 pm
I am I right that even if health care reform is passed it won’t take effect for four years? That’s a long time to wait for a lot of at risk folks.
December 9th, 2009 @ 1:44 pm
Please: extend the coverage I’m on s/s/ disability but I can’t get medicare until I’ve been on disability for 2 years, I have 2 knees that need to be replaced and heart trouble I need to keep my cobra until my medicare takes affect I’m 62 and unable to get another job. So please do what you can so we can keep our insurance going. Thanks for listening to me.
December 9th, 2009 @ 11:47 pm
How would Congress feel if we took away heir healthcare? (great healthcare paid by us). What the heck is taking them so long to decide this. People are suffering – waiting for this to pass. How dare they take a holiday break without passing this legislation.
Our Government and Corporate America owes us this.
December 10th, 2009 @ 10:09 am
The Republicans will scuttle anything that is in the best interest of citizens. They would rather spend their time playing golf someplace in Arizona.
December 11th, 2009 @ 6:30 pm
This is crucial for all of us that have worked 25+ years and have suddenly been laid off……. and our children have health issues. Please help us with extending the subsidy or we will loose everything that we have saved for the last 25 years.
December 11th, 2009 @ 10:54 pm
I am among the many Americans that through no fault of their own are unemployed and need to keep their health insurance intact.
We have a fixed amount coming in for unemployment and the full Cobra bill is triple that of what we have been paying. That is a huge amount for all of us.
Who is more important the big banks and car companies or those of us who worked most of our lives the keep things going?
December 16th, 2009 @ 7:25 am
I to am part of the unemployed, at 62 I lost job last March (1st time in my life I’ve been without a job). Jobs with insurance are almost impossible to find, especially at my age.
Cobra and the unemployment is truly a lifeline for a lot of us.
Please let us know something, we only have 2 weeks until Cobra ends (for those of us that can’t afford the full price).
December 20th, 2009 @ 9:01 pm
The extension needs to be passed. I have been out of work for one year though no fault of my own and I have medical issues that require some very expensive medication. If the bureaucrats in Washington were about to lose their health care benefits, this would have been done and over with already. Why are they making us wait until the very end??? We all need to know what to do. But, from sites I have been on – don’t cancel the COBRA insurance because once it’s gone, it’s gone for good and you can’t get it back.