health insurance costs 2009
health insurance costs 2009
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Government measures to help health insurance
Changes in Cobra and Child Health Insurance Program State Health can provide valuable assistance for recently unemployed.
Rising unemployment is causing not only loss of jobs, but also the loss of value of the coverage of health insurance for many people. In response, the federal government passed a new law to help COBRA coverage and state aid to families with children.
Changes to Cobra
Cobra is the Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act 1986. Under COBRA, if you worked for a company that had over 20 employees, then you are able to continue in the health insurance plan as long as 18 months. The downside of COBRA is that it can be very costly. In most states, beneficiaries report that payments COBRA represent over 75% of their unemployment benefits. However, in the package recently approved economic stimulus, you may be eligible for assistance of 65% of the COBRA premium.
To be eligible, you must have lost his job between 1 September 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 have not taken advantage COBRA initially, you can still register for that. If you are enrolled in COBRA coverage, you will not receive money from the premiums you've paid, but you will eligible to receive assistance from the point after the law took effect. Under the new law, you pay 35% of the premium and the government pays the other 65%. Their assistance in May continue for nine months.
State Health Children's Health Insurance Program
Another measure that the federal government has taken recently to help people with health insurance coverage is to expand the Children's Health Insurance Program or SCHIP state. The project Bill will provide 32 billion dollars to the program over the next five years and extend coverage of 7 to 11 million children. SCHIP is designed to provide health coverage for children under 19 years old and pregnant women in families whose incomes are low, but not enough to qualify for Medicaid. Part of the funding come from a tax increase on cigarettes.
Under SCHIP, the federal government provides states with adequate funding to provide health care for families with children. To be eligible, families could earn up to 200% of poverty. Under the new law, families can earn up to 300% of poverty level and still qualify for schip. Each state has established its program differently, so that programs can vary from one state to another.
If you are outside employment and health insurance, two measures recently taken by the federal government can provide assistance. The first are changes that the COBRA program where the government could collect up 65% of the cost of health insurance premium. The other is the expansion of health insurance program for children of state. Either of these options could provide short-term assistance with health insurance coverage for the newly unemployed.
About the Author
Kevin 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
.
14,000 people a day losing their insurance in the United States each day?
http://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/2009/02/health_in_crisis.html this site says that Obama is evil! http://www.usmessageboard.com/healthcare-insurance-govt-healthcare/83140-obama-was-wrong-14-000-people-do-not-lose-health-insurance-each-day.html is more than that .. more than 15000 with all the moaning going on about death Panels have lost site of the fact that our country is in a tail spin and that all fastest growing higher education is that health care costs? .. Clearly the free market is eating market place, very soon you will healthy wealthy and well educated, or have to be poor, stupid and sick. In the past 10 years, 50% of the increase of wealth has gone to the top 1% in the last 6 years, 2 / 3 went to the same .. 1% At what point average Americans turn off their televisions and say ENOUGH!
Something else to ponder. Http: / / www.csmonitor.com/2009/0813/p09s01-coop.html
