WASHINGTON (AP) — A new report shows that most low-income people who lose their jobs also are without health care insurance.
A study by the advocacy group Families USA says slightly more than half the nation’s unemployed cannot afford private insurance and also are not eligible for coverage under Medicaid.
The report focuses on middle-class and lower-income workers with annual incomes of about $44,100 for a family of four, or about double Read the rest of this entry »

NEW YORK — Cynthia Casey’s husband was in the hospital with a failing liver when she was laid off in September, stranding the family without health insurance.
Medical bills were piling up. She had two teenagers to feed and a weekly unemployment check of less than $300.
“The bills just were not getting paid,” said Casey, a 50-year-old resident of Pompano Beach, Fla., who until recently worked as an accounts payable supervisor.
Read the rest of this entry »

, Times Staff Writer
Posted: Jan 09, 2009 10:40 AM
Florida was singled out in a report today as one of the roughest states on unemployed workers who are trying to cover their family’s health care needs.
Currently, many workers who lost their jobs are able to continue purchasing the same health care coverage through the COBRA program. But according to a report by Families USA, the cost for that lifeline is prohibitively high for many, especially Read the rest of this entry »

—
In California, many women who are planning families pay higher premiums with larger deductibles to secure optional maternity coverage.
At the same time, thousands of other women are guaranteed maternity benefits at no extra charge.
The disparity lies in state law, but attempts to change it are entangled in broader questions, from affordable premiums for individuals to the long-term societal costs of not providing prenatal care.
State Read the rest of this entry »

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – “The American Medical Association cheers today’s new law to extend health care coverage to more American children, the first step in reducing the ranks of the nation’s 46 million uninsured. Years of hard work and commitment to reauthorize SCHIP with proper funding and expanded eligibility have finally paid off. Now millions more American children will be able to get the health care they need to have the best chance to learn, Read the rest of this entry »

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Staten Island is in the grip of a
health insurance crisis, with an estimated 50,000 people
lacking coverage, making it the fastest growing population
among uninsured in the city, a group of local service
providers and community leaders said yesterday.
Countless more Islanders are trying to make do with limited
access to affordable medical care.
In response to their plight, the Staten Island Family
Health Coalition, in conjunction Read the rest of this entry »

Someone who has lost a job because of a permanent disability can elect
to continue using their former employer’s
group health plan through COBRA
coverage. Employers who sponsor a group health plan with 20 or more
employees are subject to COBRA, which allows former employees, their
spouses and children to maintain coverage under the employer’s
health plan for 18 months of continuation coverage after they Read the rest of this entry »

—
In California, many women who are planning families pay higher premiums with larger deductibles to secure optional maternity coverage.
At the same time, thousands of other women are guaranteed maternity benefits at no extra charge.
The disparity lies in state law, but attempts to change it are entangled in broader questions, from affordable premiums for individuals to the long-term societal costs of not providing prenatal care.
State Read the rest of this entry »

ALBANY — Gov.
to workers’ dependents who are ages 19 to 29, part of what the administration hopes will be a step toward universal health care coverage in New York.
Mr. Paterson plans to call for the legislation during his State of the State address on Wednesday afternoon.
“This year, we will take another important step as we move toward increasing access to coverage for all New Yorkers,” Mr. Paterson said in a written Read the rest of this entry »

Feb. 20 (Bloomberg) — President
will use the
budget proposal he submits to Congress next week to outline how
to pay for expanding medical coverage to all Americans, said an
administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Obama, on Feb. 24, will speak to a joint gathering of the
House and Senate. Two days later, he will submit his budget plan
to lawmakers.
The push from Obama will help Congress get to work on the
overhaul, said Read the rest of this entry »