USA Today reported Thursday that thousands of laid-off workers might not qualify for federal COBRA subsidies offered under the federal economic stimulus package because they worked for a small company that doesn’t provide the coverage or their former employer has gone out of business....
Though they are limited, there are options if you do not qualify for
federal COBRA, says health insurance expert Nancy Metcalf. The federal subsidy also applies to state COBRA expansion programs
that extend coverage to employees in firms with fewer than 20 workers,
to whom the federal COBRA law doesn’t apply. But only 39 states have
these programs, which may vary duration, restrictions, and eligibility
from the coverage provided to workers under the federal law. Families
with children who have lost jobs and do not have access to COBRA should
immediately contact their local Medicaid agency to find out whether
their children are eligible for their state’s Children’s Health
Insurance Program. In some states you can earn up to 300% the Federal
Poverty Level, or a bit more than $60,000 a year, and still be
eligible. And in most states, families who apply for CHIP are
automatically evaluated to see if they are eligible for family Medicaid
coverage. Eligibility standards vary widely by state and are different for working and jobless parents.
Excerpted from ConsumerReportsHealth.org.
Leave a comment