December 2009 Bulletin, "COBRA Premium Subsidy Extended"

Abstract

On December 19, 2009, President Obama signed it into law the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2010, which extends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) premium assistance subsidy passed in February 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

As discussed in this Bulletin, among other things, the law extends the COBRA premium assistance subsidy eligibility window from December 31, 2009 to February 28, 2010, and the subsidy period from nine months to 15 months, for all assistance-eligible individuals, including those whose subsidy ended November 30, 2009 (or is about to end on December 31, 2009).

The law does not extend the duration of COBRA continuation coverage itself.

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