Health insurance no bargain for unemployed
A U.S. program aimed at helping unemployed people keep their health insurance costs so much it is largely unaffordable, a health consumer group said in a report released on Friday.
On average, health insurance plans available under the so-called COBRA program take up more than three-quarters of a worker’s government unemployment compensation, the non-profit Families USA reported.
“On average nationally, the monthly benefit for unemployment insurance is $1,278. The average COBRA monthly premiums for family coverage are $1,069,” Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, told reporters in a telephone briefing.
The U.S. unemployment rate hit 7.2 percent last month, the highest in nearly 16 years. Pollack said the millions of people who have become unemployed since the U.S. recession began in 2007 would be struggling to keep their health insurance.
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