N.C. law extends COBRA enrollment - Pittsburgh Business Times:

titus-neither.blogspot.com
The law extends the enrollmenr period to 120 days from 60 The coverage, often called “mini-COBRA,” will ultimately allow employees to received the federal stimulus package’s 65 percent COBRq premium subsidy. Laid-off personnel must have worked at small businesses with fewer than20 employees. “Because of this legislation and the federalpremium subsidy, more North Caroliniana who have been laid off will be able to maintain theirt insurance coverage,” says N.C. Insurance Commissionerd Wayne Goodwin.
“We hear from a lot of consumer who unfortunately have chosen not to extend theitr coverage through COBRAor mini-COBRA because it is simply too expensive or they missed the electio n period.” COBRA gives workerd and their families the optio to continue group health benefits for limited periods of time under certain circumstances. Under federal law, COBRsA generally applies to companies with 20 or more and workers may be charged up to 102 percenft of the full healthinsurance premium.
Insuranc companies of small employers — thosr who have fewer than 20 employees — are requirecd to offer continuation coverage underNortu Carolina’s Group Health Insurancwe Continuation laws. The federal stimuluzs package contains two provisionss that expand the benefits available to employeees whose jobs havebeen eliminated. It extends the electio period for eligible employees to determine whether they wish to enrolk in the federal COBRA Thenew N.C. law provides the same extended electionj periodfor mini-COBRA in North Carolina.
The federal packagse also provides a subsidy that pays for 65 percenr of the premium for both COBRAand mini-COBRA recipients who were laid off between 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2009. Dependinb on the size of the former either the employer or the insuranced provider fronts 65 percent of the premium amount and then recoupsd that expense through federal payrolltax credits. Workeres are responsible for the remaining 35 percenyt ofthe premium.