From the category archives:

Politics

House Passes COBRA Subsidy Extension

House Passes COBRA Subsidies Extension The US House of Representatives passed bills that included an extension of COBRA health insurance subsidies for Americans who have lost their jobs.

Next up is the Senate, who is expected to act quickly before the COBRA premium subsidy program expires at the end of the year.

The COBRA premium subsidy program was created under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act program to reduce 65% of an unemployed person’s COBRA premiums. The 65% subsidy lasts for nine months per individual, but the subsidy program is set to end Dec. 31.

The new bill that passed the House extends that nine-month period to 15 months. Those who have already run past their nine months and have lost their insurance could get it back for the remainder of the 15-month period. However, the language in the final bill may vary.

Share

1 comment

Senate Scraps Public Option & Medicare Expansion

Senate Scraps Public OptionAfter a frenzy of political deal making, Democratic leaders in the US Senate agreed to scrap both the controversial public plan option and a new amendment that would have opened up Medicare to people aged 55-64. 

It now appears that the Democrats will have enough support to win the 60 votes needed to approve their Health Reform bill.  While the revised bill’s estimated cost still needs to be determined by the Congressional Budget Office, that is expected to be completed sometime this week.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid hopes to line up a commitment of 60 lawmakers by Thursday, so that a final vote could happen before Christmas. 

That would then set the stage for reconciliation with the House version of the bill in January.  It is expected that the core of the Senate bill will be in the final reconciled bill, if the Congress and Senate hope to pass the reconciled bill through both houses.

Share

What do YOU think? Click here to be the first to comment.

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →