Most Americans receive health care insurance benefits through employer based system wherein employer subsidizes all parts of plans premium. But with current recession and people losing out their jobs people find it difficult dealing with whammy of loss of income & loss of health insurance.
But to combat that there are lots of programs available through government as well as through private companies which can provide assistance to unemployed for covering medical costs. Some of the schemes are mentioned below:
(1) COBRA: (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) which allows employer based healthcare benefits in continuation to previous schemes at group rates. This scheme remains effective even after voluntary or involuntary job termination of employee. Spouse and children if any who were covered in previous schemes affected by employees would also become eligible for benefits.
Many unemployed find it difficult to afford COBRA because they are responsible for paying entire premium which before had not been there due to employers subsidy benefit.
But effective from this year employees who lost their job in period between September 1,2008 to December 31,2009 are responsible for only 35% of normal premiums that would pay up for COBRA Coverage till 9 months. When COBRA gives notice eligibility to unemployed person , information about his subsidy & enrollment materials will also be included.
(2)Medicaid: During this recession phase many people find themselves out of work for months or years. Due to this they have saturated or completely worn of their insurance benefits as well as lost their COBRA eligibility. So for them there is option of government funded healthcare called Medicaid.
This scheme is federally funded, but as it is administered by individual states it has its own guidelines set for eligibility. Each state must fund different categories or key groups which include categorically, medically needed groups.
Categorically needy individuals are those who are eligible to get Aid to Families with dependent children(AFDC), pregnant women and children under age of 6 with a family income below 133% of Federal poverty level, children aged 6-19 with families below poverty level.
Medically needed individuals are those who are require special medical needs who would otherwise not qualify for Medicaid because of having too much income or resource such as savings.
(3)Corporate Assistance: Some of corporations have designed new policies to assist the newly unemployed in meeting their health care needs.
Pfizer one of the largest company in United States have recently announced a program which would provide 70 of the most commonly drugs for free to Americans who have lost their jobs since 1st January 2009. To become eligible for that, individuals must have been taking those drugs for more than 3 months prior to losing their jobs.
Walgreens the drugstore chain has a program called Take Care Recovery Plan through which individuals who have lost their jobs after 31st March 2009 can receive free health care services at Take Care Clinics located in Walgreens. To qualify for that individual must not be having any unemployment benefits.
But to combat that there are lots of programs available through government as well as through private companies which can provide assistance to unemployed for covering medical costs. Some of the schemes are mentioned below:
(1) COBRA: (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) which allows employer based healthcare benefits in continuation to previous schemes at group rates. This scheme remains effective even after voluntary or involuntary job termination of employee. Spouse and children if any who were covered in previous schemes affected by employees would also become eligible for benefits.
Many unemployed find it difficult to afford COBRA because they are responsible for paying entire premium which before had not been there due to employers subsidy benefit.
But effective from this year employees who lost their job in period between September 1,2008 to December 31,2009 are responsible for only 35% of normal premiums that would pay up for COBRA Coverage till 9 months. When COBRA gives notice eligibility to unemployed person , information about his subsidy & enrollment materials will also be included.
(2)Medicaid: During this recession phase many people find themselves out of work for months or years. Due to this they have saturated or completely worn of their insurance benefits as well as lost their COBRA eligibility. So for them there is option of government funded healthcare called Medicaid.
This scheme is federally funded, but as it is administered by individual states it has its own guidelines set for eligibility. Each state must fund different categories or key groups which include categorically, medically needed groups.
Categorically needy individuals are those who are eligible to get Aid to Families with dependent children(AFDC), pregnant women and children under age of 6 with a family income below 133% of Federal poverty level, children aged 6-19 with families below poverty level.
Medically needed individuals are those who are require special medical needs who would otherwise not qualify for Medicaid because of having too much income or resource such as savings.
(3)Corporate Assistance: Some of corporations have designed new policies to assist the newly unemployed in meeting their health care needs.
Pfizer one of the largest company in United States have recently announced a program which would provide 70 of the most commonly drugs for free to Americans who have lost their jobs since 1st January 2009. To become eligible for that, individuals must have been taking those drugs for more than 3 months prior to losing their jobs.
Walgreens the drugstore chain has a program called Take Care Recovery Plan through which individuals who have lost their jobs after 31st March 2009 can receive free health care services at Take Care Clinics located in Walgreens. To qualify for that individual must not be having any unemployment benefits.
Comments
Post a Comment