House health care bill extends COBRA, not the subsidy
Posted on 29 October 2009
Permanent URL of this article: http://retirementrevised.com/money/house-health-care-bill-extends-cobra-not-the-subsidy
Mark Miller
The health care reform bill introduced in the House of Representatives today would allow COBRA participants to extend their coverage until 2013, when new health insurance exchanges would come on line. But the bill doesn’t embrace an extension of the current federal COBRA benefit subsidy–yet.
Currently, companies provide former employees with access to their health plans under COBRA for an 18-month period. The House bill would extend that substantially. But no word yet on whether the important 65 percent federal subsidy also will be extended as proposed by Rep. Joe Sestak.
November 8th, 2009 at 10:21 am
I am having difficulty finding this wording in the House Bill. Can you suggest where I might find this information in the bill that passed the House or in any other recent legislation
thanks
November 8th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Bob,
Section 113 of the final House bill (the Affordable Health Care for America Act) states that people on COBRA can keep it until “the earlier of the date on which such individual becomes eligible for acceptable coverage or the date on which such individual be comes eligible for health insurance coverage through the Health Insurance Exchange (or a State-based Health Insurance Exchange operating in a State or group of States).
This is not to be confused with the proposed extension of the Cobra premium subsidy; that’s separate legislation still under consideration. A PDF of the full text of the bill is here: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/images/nytint/docs/the-house-s-health-care-bill/original.pdf
Also see: http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-na-health-qa8-2009nov08,0,819911.story