COBRA leaves users little for food, rent - Greenville News
10.01.09
John Peeler always took comfort in the knowledge that if he ever lost his job he'd at least have health insurance for his family through a federal law known as COBRA.
Intended to keep employees from losing their insurance along with their jobs, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 allows people to keep their employer coverage for up to 18 months, so long as they pay the full premium.
But when the 39-year-old father of three lost his job as an IT manager in November, he discovered that his $1,304 monthly unemployment check barely covered his $1,318 monthly premium, forcing him to choose between a home and food for his family, or health insurance.
"I can either pay the mortgage and have groceries or pay COBRA and have nothing to eat and foreclose on the home," said Peeler, of Moore. "I haven't slept more than two hours a night since November worrying about all this."
Turns out Peeler is typical in South Carolina, where the average unemployment payment equals the average COBRA family premium, according to new research from Families USA. Released Friday, the study concludes that COBRA insurance is so expensive that most just can't afford it.
Source: Greenville News, SC