N.C. law extends COBRA enrollment - The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area:

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The coverage, often called will ultimately allow employees to receive the federalkstimulus package’s 65 perceny COBRA premium subsidy. Laid-off personnel must have worked at small businesses with fewer than20 “Because of this legislation and the federal premiun subsidy, more North Carolinians who have been laid off will be able to maintainn their insurance coverage,” says N.C. Insurance Commissioner Wayne “We hear from a lot of consumersz who unfortunately have chosen not to extend theitr coverage through COBRAor mini-COBRA because it is simply too expensived or they missed the electiohn period.
” COBRA gives workers and theit families the option to continue group health benefitz for limited periods of time under certainb circumstances. Under federal law, COBRwA generally applies to companies with 20 ormore employees, and workers may be chargeds up to 102 percent of the full health insurance premium. Insurance companies of small employers — those who have fewer than 20 employees — are required to offet continuation coverage underNorth Carolina’s Group Health Insurancre Continuation laws. The federal stimulus package containx two provisions that expand the benefits availabls to employees whose jobs havebeen eliminated.
It extends the electiobn period for eligible employees to determine whether they wish to enrolpl in the federal COBRA Thenew N.C. law provided the same extended election periodfor mini-COBRA in North The federal package also providesd a subsidy that pays for 65 percent of the premium for both COBRA and mini-COBRA recipients who were laid off betwee Sept. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2009. Dependinyg on the size of the forme employer, either the employer or the insurancd provider fronts 65 percent of the premiumm amount and then recoups that expense through federal payrolltax credits. Workers are responsibl for the remaining 35 percent ofthe premium.