President signs into law two-month extension of COBRA premium subsidy

President signs into law two-month extension of COBRA premium subsidy


4/16/10 


Late on April 15, Congress passed H.R. 4851, the Continuing Extension Act of 2010, and it was signed into law by the President the same day (P.L. 111-157). The Act extends the eligibility period for the COBRA continuation premium subsidy for two months. Under prior law, the eligibility period had ended on Mar. 31, 2010. Under the Act, the eligibility period for the subsidy is retroactively extended for two months and will end on May 31, 2010. The Act also carries extended COBRA election procedures for certain involuntarily terminated workers and new notice requirements for plan administrators. See Weekly Alert - 04/22/2010 for details.
The Act also extends a number of other programs, such as unemployment insurance, and includes a Sense of the Senate that a Value Added Tax would be a massive tax increase that "will cripple families on fixed income and only further push back America's economic recovery," and that "the Senate opposes a Value Added Tax."