Health insurance has become a hot button issue in US politics. With Washington making some progress in healthcare reform, this leaves Americans divided into three camps. Although estimates vary, it seems up to 50 million cannot afford private health insurance. The middle ground is help by those who do earn enough to pay for some private health coverage, and then there’s the comfortable group whose employers provide health coverage. Movement from one camp to another can be painful. It’s the difference between peace of mind and security on the one hand, and struggle and worry on the other. Because it can be a serious shock to a family to lose the health cover provided by an employer, Congress introduced the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) in 1986. The name may not sound important, but the Act has proved a vital reform to allow families a bridge between employer-provided and private health coverage. Almost all businesses employing 20 or more must join the scheme and tell their employees of their rights. Read the rest of this entry »