Government Measures to Help with Health Insurance

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Article Title:

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Government Measures to Help with Health Insurance

Article Description:

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Changes to COBRA and the State Children's Health Insurance

Program can provide valuable assistance to those recently

unemployed.

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502 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line

Distribution Date and Time: 2009-04-02 13:12:00

Written By: Kielty

Copyright: 2009

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Government Measures to Help with Health Insurance

Copyright © 2009 Kielty

North Carolina Insurance

http://www.ncinsuranceplan.com

The rising unemployment rate is causing not just job loss but

also the loss of valuable health insurance coverage for many

people. In response, the federal government has enacted new

legislation to help with COBRA coverage as well as state aid to

families with children.

Changes to COBRA

COBRA stands for the Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act of

1986. Under COBRA, if you worked for a company that had more than

20 employees, then you are able to continue on the group health

insurance plan for as much as 18 months. The downside of COBRA is

that it can be quite expensive. In most states, recipients report

that COBRA payments account for more than 75% of their

unemployment benefit. However, under the recently passed Economic

Stimulus Package, you could be eligible for assistance with 65%

of your COBRA premium.

To qualify for the program you must have lost your job between

September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009. Your income must be less

than $125,000 for an individual and less than $250,000 a year for

a family. If you did not take advantage of COBRA initially, you

can still sign up for it. If you did sign up for COBRA coverage,

you won't get any money back for the premiums you have already

paid, but you will be eligible for assistance from the point

after the law has taken effect. Under the new law you will pay

35% of the premium, and the government pays the other 65%. Your

assistance could continue for as much as nine months.

State Children's Health Insurance Program

Another measure the federal government has taken recently to help

people with health insurance coverage is to expand the State

Children's Health Insurance Program or SCHIP. The law will

provide $32 billion to the program over the next five years and

expand coverage to from 7 to 11 million children. SCHIP is

designed to provide health care coverage for children up to age

19 and pregnant women, in families whose income is low, but not

low enough to qualify for Medicaid. A portion of the funding will

come from an increase in the tax on cigarettes.

Under SCHIP, the federal government provides the states with

matching funds to provide health care for families with children.

To qualify, families could earn only up to 200% of the poverty

level. Under the new law, families can earn up to 300% of the

poverty level and still qualify for SCHIP. Each state has set up

their program differently, so programs can vary from state to

state.

If you find yourself out of a job and out of health insurance,

two recent measures by the federal government may provide some

assistance. The first are changes to the COBRA program in which

the government could pick up to 65% of the cost of your health

insurance premium. The other is the expansion of the State

Children's Health Insurance Program. Either of these options

could provide short-term assistance with health insurance

coverage for the recently unemployed.

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Kielty lives in North Carolina and writes articles

on health insurance. If you are looking for rate quotes

on health insurance in North Carolina, visit BCBSNC, also

known as Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina

http://www.ncinsuranceplan.com