Senate Nears Final Vote on COBRA Premium Subsidy Extension

The U.S. Senate has agreed to limit debate on legislation to retroactively extend federal COBRA health insurance premium subsidies and certain other expired tax code provisions.

The Senate’s 60-34 vote late Monday, April 12, sets the stage for a final vote on the legislation, H.R. 4851, later this week.

Under the bill that the House already has approved, the 15-month, 65 percent federal premium subsidy would be extended to employees involuntarily terminated from April 1 through April 30.

The last short-term extension expired March 31.

Previously, as part of broader bill H.R. 4213, the Senate approved a longer extension to enable employees laid off through the end of the year to receive the COBRA premium subsidy, but the House has yet to take up that measure.  

Filed by Jerry Geisel of Business Insurance, a sister publication of Workforce Management. To comment, e-mail editors@workforce.com.

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