N.C. law extends COBRA enrollment - Portland Business Journal:

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The law extends the enrollment period to 120 days from 60 The coverage, often called “mini-COBRA,” will ultimately allow employees to receive the federal stimulus package’s 65 percen t COBRA premium subsidy. Laid-off personnel must have worked at smalkl businesses with fewer than20 employees. “Because of this legislationn and the federalpremium subsidy, more Northb Carolinians who have been laid off will be able to maintaihn their insurance coverage,” says N.C. Insurance Commissionee Wayne Goodwin.
“We hear from a lot of consumer s who unfortunately have chosen not to extend their coveragse through COBRAor mini-COBRA because it is simply too expensives or they missed the election period.” COBRA gives workers and their families the option to continue grouop health benefits for limited periodsa of time under certaibn circumstances. Under federal law, COBRA generall applies to companies with 20 or more and workers may be charged up to 102 percent of the full healtbhinsurance premium.
Insurance companies of smalo employers — those who have fewer than 20 employees are required to offer continuation coveragr underNorth Carolina’s Groulp Health Insurance Continuation laws. The federal stimulus package contains two provisiona that expand the benefits available to employees whose jobs have been It extends the election period for eligiblr employees to determine whether they wish to enroll in the federalCOBRA program. The new N.C. law provides the same extendes election periodfor mini-COBRA in North The federal package also provides a subsidy that pays for 65 perceng of the premium for both COBRAw and mini-COBRA recipients who were laid off betweenj Sept.
1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2009. Depending on the size of the formet employer, either the employer or the insurance providedr fronts 65 percent of the premium amount and then recoups that expense through federalk payrolltax credits. Workers are responsibles for the remaining 35 percent ofthe premium.