Senate must act on extending unemployment insurance and health care Cobra benefits

[Better Believe It]

UI and Health Care Clocks Tick for Jobless Workers, Congress Must Act
by Mike Hall
February 3, 2010

Time is rapidly running out for Congress to keep a vital lifeline available for jobless workers and their families. Both unemployment insurance (UI) for the long-term jobless and the COBRA extension to help unemployed workers maintain health care coverage expire Feb. 28.

With long-term unemployment continuing to worsen (and now at an all-time high, with one in six workers unemployed) and periods of unemployment lasting longer than ever, keeping the unemployment safety net is crucial for millions of working families.

In December, the U.S. House passed a jobs bill that included a long-term UI and Cobra extension, but the U.S. Senate failed to act and Congress was forced to pass a short-term extension of both programs.

In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), a group of 31 senators urged quick passage of an extension for both programs to provide “vital safety net coverage for America families.”

The full text of the letter follows:

Dear Majority Leader Reid and Chairman Baucus,

We are writing to urge an extension of unemployment benefits and eligibility for the COBRA Premium Assistance Program through December 31, 2010. As our nation continues to battle double digit unemployment rates, we must act right away to continue vital safety net coverage for the American family.

We appreciate your leadership in December in securing a two-month extension to both of these programs in the Department of Defense Appropriations bill. But recent employment numbers are an indication that we must immediately extend jobless benefits and health assistance for individuals and families squeezed in this tighter economy. Nearly 40 percent of the unemployed – more than 6.1 million people – have been out of work for six months or longer. The average duration of unemployment is now at 29.1 weeks.

What is more, many of those individuals and their families lost their health coverage when they lost their jobs. On average, a monthly healthcare premium payment to cover a family costs $1,111, which represents 83.4% of the average unemployment check. In some states, the average unemployment check is less than the cost of a monthly healthcare plan premium.

Based on these figures, Congress must extend unemployment benefits and eligibility for the COBRA Premium Assistance Program through the end of the year. Short term extensions, while still helpful to families, only add strain to state agencies that must constantly re-tool their computer systems, and at the same time, continue to assist the millions still searching for work. As our economy continues on a path to recovery, we need a robust extension of safety net programs that have provided a lifeline to families since the recession began.

We urge quick action on the extension of the unemployment insurance provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through December 31, 2010, including the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program, full federal funding of the Extended Benefit program, an increase of $25 per week in state and federal benefits, and the suspension of the federal income tax on an individual’s first $2,400 of unemployment benefits. In addition, we must also extend the eligibility period of the COBRA Premium Assistance Program through December 31, 2010.

Due to the importance of these issues, we respectfully request a meeting with you to discuss how we can provide for an extension of both programs. We thank you for your consideration of our request. All of our offices are committed to ensuring our constituents are able to properly provide for their families during this difficult time.

Sincerely,

Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Bob Casey (D-PA)
Jack Reed (D-RI)
Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT)
Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)
Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
Al Franken (D-MN)
Carl Levin (D-MI)
Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
Roland W. Burris (D-IL)
Arlen Specter (D-PA)
John F. Kerry (D-MA)
Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY)
Ron Wyden (D-OR)
Edward E. Kaufman (D-DE)
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Bernard Sanders (I-VT)
Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT)
Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Herb Kohl (D-WI)
Tom Udall (D-NM)
Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD)
Robert C. Byrd (D-WV)
Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Michael Bennet (D-CO)

http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/02/03/ui-and-health-care-clocks-tick-for-jobless-workers-congress-must-act/

[Union Yes]

1. Darn right they need to act! Thanks for posting. knr nt

[Ruby the Liberal]

2. My COBRA was set to go full price this spring

I am working now, but not on the company insurance yet, so haven't notified my COBRA people. They sent me a letter telling me that the Federal Subsidy was extended 6 months, taking me into the fall if needed.

Unemployment is granted by state, depending on the unemployment rate. In my state, I was extended 20 weeks when my 26 weeks ran out.

[Berry Cool]

3. Your STATE extended you another 20 weeks?

When I used up my 26 weeks of state insurance, I had to apply for an additional 20 weeks of federal aid. That's what I'm on now.

[Ruby the Liberal]

4. Yes, and I didn't have to apply.

They sent me a letter saying they were extending me. Yes, is federal money, but the state makes the decision as to who qualifies and those who do are automatic.

[AllentownJake]

5. they pretty much extend everyone

I don't know a single person who was not extended last time around.

[AllentownJake]

6. I've been pondering whether the GOP was going to be foolish enough

to kill this and send the economy into a total downturn overnight.

[gkhouston]

7. This and jobs are two things I think the Senate Dems might actually stand up for.

If they're not willing to go to the mat on a filibuster for either of those things, then they are completely tone deaf and need to be replaced by some Dems who "get it". It's still the economy, stupid.

[AllentownJake]

8. In my short 31 years

Betting on GOP stupidity and over reaching and democratic incompetence and cowardice, has always been a pretty safe bet.

[AlinPA]

9. Another filibuster coming up. nt