Hello. This is more than a question than a regular diary, so bear with me. I worked at a small law firm which was recently forced to lay off most of its attorneys. I got laid off and went on the Illinois state equivalent of COBRA (which applies to companies too small for COBRA).
Under this COBRA-like system, the federal government picks up two-thirds of my premiums (which is very helpful since I am still unemployed but doing occasional temporary work). On the Illinois COBRA-like rules, I can continue to pay my premiums to my former employer for the next year.
Here is the problem: my former employer just told me that it will likely dissolve by the end of this year. This is very concerning. (more below the fold)
My former employer claims that if they dissolve, my insurance ends entirely (because I was making the payments to the former employer). Is this correct?
Additionally, they claim that even if they reconstituted themselves as a different law firm (like BC&D attorneys at law instead of AB&C attorneys at law) I would still lose my insurance because the old law firm ceased to exist. Is this right? Or is it just a way of avoiding responsibilities?
Can anyone help me with this stuff? I know there are some health insurance experts on Dailykos. Any advice (or even pointing me where to look) would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!