Hard Times and Health Insurance: Staying Covered When You Lose Your Job

By

United Hospital Fund

Funding Area

Expanding Health Care Coverage

Date

March 1, 2009

Expanding Health Care Coverage

In response to the growing number of New Yorkers who risk losing health insurance coverage in the current troubled economy, the United Hospital Fund prepared this guide with support from the New York Health Foundation.

“Hard Times and Health Insurance: Staying Covered When You Lose Your Job” was designed to help New Yorkers understand how to benefit from the newly enacted COBRA premium assistance. Both Federal and State laws provide New Yorkers with ways to postpone or avoid losing health benefits, and to take advantage of other coverage options. This booklet provides practical suggestions, and explanations of Federal and State protections The guide also includes a review of the significant new Federal assistance and protections provided in the recently enacted Federal stimulus legislation, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.