HARRISBURG, PA -- The following information was released by Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Democratic Caucus:
State Rep. Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery, today secured the House Insurance Committee's unanimous bipartisan approval for his bill (H.B. 2392) to strengthen Pennsylvania's mini-COBRA law to continue health insurance coverage and extend federal subsidies to those who worked for small businesses and lost their jobs.
Shapiro's bill would leverage federal money to provide a 65 percent health insurance premium subsidy for up to 15 months to those who lost their jobs.
'This is a commonsense bill that does not require any state funding to increase access to affordable health insurance coverage and prevents out-of-work Pennsylvanians from joining the ranks of the uninsured,' Shapiro said.
In February 2009, the U.S. Congress first established COBRA subsidies for unemployed workers and extended these subsidies to states with mini-COBRA laws to cover employees of small businesses, which are not covered under the federal legislation.
Shapiro represents the 153rd Legislative District in Montgomery County. For more information, visit www.pahouse.com/Shapiro.
