Cobra Benefits Extended for Unemployed

If you are like me at all it is difficult to keep up on all the information that comes from the government.  Especially if you are under any kind of stress it makes it even more difficult.  For those of us that have benefited due to unemployment from decreased Cobra costs for 9 months this has been extended for an additional 6 months in many circumstances for 15 months (read on).  I have attached one article in full which has some relevant contact information so you can read as much as you would like to.

President Barack Obama on Monday signed a measure to extend a federal subsidy for continued health-insurance coverage for involuntarily terminated workers under employer group plans.
The law extends the subsidy an additional six months for a total of 15 months, up from the current nine. The subsidy applies only to workers let go by employers.
Under Cobra, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, severed workers can stay on their employer's group health plan for up to 18 months, or longer in some circumstances, provided they pay the full premium plus an administrative fee. With the subsidy, terminated workers pay 35% of the premium.
Since laid-off workers pay for Cobra benefits from their own pockets, the federal subsidy, part of the federal stimulus package enacted last February, is meant to lighten their economic load.
Eligibility for the subsidy had been due to expire on Dec. 31 but has been extended to workers laid off between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28, 2010, in addition to those let go between Sept. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2009, under the original program.
The subsidy is provided in the form of a payroll tax credit to employers with 20 or more workers. The extension is part of the Pentagon spending bill Congress approved in recent days.
More than 14 million workers are estimated to be eligible for the subsidy, according to benefits consultant Hewitt Associates. The subsidy generally doesn't apply to those who quit voluntarily but remain on their old employer's plan under Cobra. There are other restrictions as well.
Without the subsidy, the full annual average health plan cost in 2009 was about $13,375 for a family and $4,824 for an individual, according to the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation, which specializes in health-care issues.
The bill requires employers to notify current and future Cobra participants of the extended 15-month eligibility. For questions about Cobra, call the U.S. Department of Labor at 866-444-3272 or visit dol.gov/cobra. 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704304504574610550356800752.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLTopStories