State Senator Joseph J. Crisco, Jr.
March 27, 2009
Crisco Backs Changes to Insurance Laws to Help Workers Maintain COBRA Health Coverage
The co-chair of the General Assembly’s Insurance and Real Estate Committee, Senate Joseph Crisco (D-Woodbridge) has endorsed Governor Rell’s call for the legislature to revise Connecticut’s insurance laws in order to take advantage of a change in the federal stimulus package that will help reduce costs for people who lose their job to maintain health coverage under COBRA, the Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act.
COBRA is a federal law that allows some laid off workers to continue to receive health coverage by paying their share of the premium through their employer’s health plan, but in many cases it can be expensive.
Under the federal stimulus package, workers laid off from their jobs from September 1, 2008 through December 31, 2009 can continue health coverage with the federal government paying up to 65 percent of the plan’s cost for up to nine months. In addition, workers laid off from large companies any time between September 1, 2008 and February 16, 2009 have the option to enroll in COBRA retroactively.
Connecticut has a so called mini COBRA law and it will have to be changed in order for employees laid off from businesses to take advantage of the retroactivity provision of the stimulus package.
“Families across Connecticut are struggling because of the economy and the loss of jobs. I urge the General Assembly to act as quickly as possible to revise Connecticut’s insurance law to make it easier for laid off workers to have health care,” said Senator Crisco. “I’m working with Senate President Pro Tempore Donald Williams and Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney to make these changes to help provide health care for the workers in our state.”
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