Urge the Senate to Extend Unemployment Benefits
The unemployment insurance and COBRA health care subsidies that have proven critical to families struggling through the recession are set to expire this month unless the Senate acts now.
Congress previously extended both programs when the economy didn't bounce back as quickly as some had hoped, but those extensions expire on February 28. The House has already passed new legislation, but unless the Senate acts, millions of people will lose out on unemployment benefits and be forced to give up their health insurance.
The benefits at stake can make all the difference for someone who's unemployed. Under the Recovery Act, people who have lost their jobs in this recession can get up to 73 weeks of emergency unemployment benefits versus the usual state allotment of 26, plus an extra $25 per week in both state and federal benefits. It's needed -- 40 percent of the unemployed have been out of work for more than six months. According to the National Employment Law Project, 5.6 million people are currently receiving some form of emergency unemployment insurance.
COBRA helps laid off workers maintain their health coverage with 15-month, 65 percent subsidies. If an extension is passed, people laid off through the end of 2010 will also be eligible for 12 months. If the Senate doesn't authorize an extension, many of these people will join the ranks of the uninsured.
Demand assistance for those who can't find work.
Photo credit: aflcio2008
Josie Raymond
has reported from the streets of the South Bronx, written for several magazines that folded (not her fault) and fixed thousands of typos.
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