This is an issue that I know has been causing some users here (myself included) considerable angst: as things stood, the deadline for extending federal unemployment benefits would have been December 31 of this year, causing untold distress for those who missed that cutoff. The bill passed by the Senate provides relief--but not as much as it should.
...the bill would continue several extensions of unemployment benefits through Feb. 28. An extra $25 a week payment approved by Congress earlier this year in the economic stimulus package also will be extended two months
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So, the bill adds an extra two months to the deadline. This will help a lot of people, but is far, far from perfect, and we can only hope another extension is forthcoming: it seems this was the best that could be rushed through in time to be effective:
Lawmakers in both chambers had introduced bills that would extend the unemployment benefits filing deadline through 2010 or beyond. But House Democratic leaders scaled back the effort in hopes of getting it through the Senate more quickly.
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The bill also includes a two month extension to eligibility for the current 65% government COBRA subsidy (which is the only way COBRA is worth a damn), and in addition extends the subsidy up to 15 months:
It also adds six months to what was a 9-month period that the federal government would make the 65% of payments through the COBRA health plan, extending the period of payments to 15 months
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I have to say, for selfish reasons this is huge for me: the COBRA subsidy is currently the only way my family can afford healthcare, and the next six months just got a lot easier for us.
So there you have it: an imperfect bill that is only a temporary stopgap, but one that nevertheless will alleviate considerable suffering in the nation. A small step, but in the right direction.