Extended COBRA Continuation Protection Act Introduced
11/04/2009On October 26, 2009, Representative Joe Sestak (D-PA), a member of the House of Representatives Education and Labor Committee, introduced the Extended COBRA Continuation Protection Act (H.R. 3930). This bill amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to extend the eligibility period and maximum period for COBRA premium assistance. Currently, eligibility for the nine-month subsidy is limited to individuals who have been involuntarily terminated from employment on or after September 1, 2008, through December 31, 2009, and who lose coverage during that period. H.R. 3930 would extend the ARRA COBRA subsidy eligibility to those who are involuntarily terminated between January 1 and June 30, 2010, and extend the maximum period of assistance to 15 months. It also contains a six-month extension of COBRA coverage (from 18 to 24 months) for individuals who are eligible for COBRA as a consequence of termination (or reduction in hours) of employment occurring on or after April 1, 2008, and before January 1, 2010. This bill may be folded into overall health care reform efforts currently being debated in Congress.
