Guv proposes COBRA subsidy
Gov. John Baldacci has proposed using federal stimulus money to help laid-off workers in Maine pay for health insurance, according to a press release this afternoon from Consumers for Affordable Health Care.
The governor's proposal to the Legislature would compliment a national plan from the Obama administration that would allow workers who lost their jobs and health insurance between Sept. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2009, to get COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) health insurance at a 65% discount.
In addition to the federal subsidy, Baldacci proposes to use stimulus money to help up to 8,000 low and moderate income Mainers pay for COBRA. The measure is intended to assist those workers who could not afford COBRA even at 35% of its regular cost. The governor has proposed a short-term policy through Harvard Pilgrim that would subsidize the COBRA premium.
For more information on the federal subsidy, call the U.S. Department of Labor at (866) 444-3272, or visit the DOL's website on COBRA.
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