GoldenMonopoly.com General Stanley McChrystal, the senior US commander in Afghanistan, has been summoned to the United States to explain his critical comments about the Obama administration. http://CrazyCashBack.com
The general made his controversial remarks in a magazine article for which he has been forced to apologise. Right, Wrong what do you think?
Ocean floor ruptures! This is huge. Has this ALREADY happened. http://CrazyCashBack.com will keep you on top.
The Attorney General of Florida sent a letter to BP asking that the company deposit no less than $2.5 billion into an escrow account to cover future claims to citizens and businesses that have been hit by the oil spill.
If you lose your job after June 1, you’ll see more than just your paycheck disappear. You also won’t get for the 65% federal subsidy to cover your COBRA health insurance premium.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — If you lose your job after June 1, you’ll see more than just your paycheck disappear. You also won’t get the 65% federal subsidy to cover your COBRA health insurance premium.
That’s because House Democrats last week opted not to extend the subsidy in order to bring down the cost of a jobs and tax bill winding its way through Congress. Continuing the provision through Dec. 31 would run $7.8 billion.
The loss of the 15-month subsidy leaves hundreds of thousands of newly jobless Americans to shoulder the burden of health insurance coverage on their own. On average, the monthly premium alone eats up 84% of a person’s unemployment check, according to Families USA, a consumer advocacy group.
Dozens of people currently benefiting from the subsidy wrote to CNNMoney.com in recent days to say how crucial it is. Without the extra help, they said they could not afford to pay for their coverage and their treatments for diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure and other ailments.
“I’m unemployed. I don’t have money to pay for medical bills,” said Stephanie Kohnke, a St. Paul, Minn. resident who lost her job in May and is waiting to be approved for the subsidy. “This is the worst time to lose that safety net.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Tuesday that she plans to revisit the COBRA subsidy. However, she noted, it is a controversial provision that could be difficult to pass.
Stimulus subsidy
The subsidy was created in February 2009 as part of the Obama Administration’s $787 billion stimulus program. It was among a number of measures meant to aid Americans suffering during the Great Recession.
Those who lost their jobs between September 1, 2008 and May 31, 2010 were eligible to have the federal government pick up 65% of the monthly premium’s cost if they continued their employer-sponsored insurance under COBRA. Originally scheduled to last 9 months, it was later extended to 15 months.
Just how many people are filing for the subsidy isn’t known. But a recent Treasury Department survey found that between 25% and 33% of eligible jobless New Jersey residents were participating and most of them were middle class.
For a typical family, the subsidy reduced the annual cost of COBRA to about $4,725, down from about $13,500.
“Anyone subsisting on unemployment insurance cannot afford to pay COBRA premiums without getting help,” said Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA.
Ann Bates is thankful that she has the COBRA subsidy that brings her monthly premium down to $181 a month. Without it, she’d have to pay more than $500 a month for coverage, a price she couldn’t afford since she only collects $1,450 in unemployment benefits.
A Cedar Rapids, Iowa resident who lost her office manager job in February, Bates said she must have health insurance or she couldn’t afford the insulin she takes for her diabetes. With insurance, it costs her $75 a month but without it, the price zooms to more than $300. And that doesn’t include the cost of syringes and test strips.
Debbie McBride knows exactly what the newly unemployed are going through. McBride, who lost her administrative assistant position at an aerospace company in February 2009, just exhausted her 15-month subsidy and is now left to fend for herself.
Unable to afford her $390 unsubsidized monthly premium, McBride refilled her five prescriptions last month. She has looked for cheaper health plans but can’t find one, especially now that she has diabetes.
McBride has yet to pay her June premium because she doesn’t have the funds. The La Habra, Calif. resident said she doesn’t know what to do.
“Where are we supposed to get the extra money?” she asked.
EVERY driver should see this, especially teenagers. It is very graphic and is recommended for 18 and older but if they wait till 18 to see it, they may not reach 18. I see this stuff all too often. PARENTS: Watch this by yourself first then WITH your kids
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It’s now illegal to text while driving in Vermont.
Gov. Jim Douglas signed the ban into law Tuesday at the Montpelier High School, joining at least 25 states that have banned the practice.
The measure also bans the use of cell phones and other electronic devices while driving for 16- and 17-year-old drivers.
Douglas says texting dramatically reduces drivers’ reaction time. He says at 65 miles per hour, drivers who text are not looking at the road for 500 feet for each message.
Under the bill, anyone caught sending or reading text messages while driving could face a $100 fine for a first offense and a $250 fine for each subsequent offense within a two-year period.
Dear Annie: Until last year, my family and I always managed to get away for two weeks of rest and recreation every summer. For reasons you can guess, I took no time off last year and now, at about the time I’d normally be reserving a cabin by a lake for ten days or so in August, I’m really hesitating to make the call.
Jobs may be coming back, but they aren’t the same ones workers were used to.