A potential health care crisis is looming for thousands of unemployed Americans. A federal subsidy to the COBRA plan ended Tuesday. Now, some jobless Americans will take another hit and start losing COBRA aid. The government subsidy helped unemployed people pay for extended coverage, but has run out for those who began receiving it in March.
The subsidy covered 65-percent of medical costs for unemployed workers who remained on former health care plans for nine months. It was part of the stimulus bill.
"I don't think we know the impact at this time, but I really believe it will be significant," says Penny Davis, Trinity Regional Health System Administrator.
That's because coverage for some families on COBRA has skyrocketed. In Illinois, the average COBRA family coverage ran $389 a month with the subsidy, now its $1,139 a month without it, something unaffordable for many without a job.
"For many people this is all they have and one of the reasons we need comprehensive health care. We have 14,000 people everyday in this country losing their health insurance as it is," says St. Rep. Phil Hare, (D) Illinois.
Unless something is done, no subsidy could mean more Americans giving up insurance and going without, like Wayne True.
"We don't have any insurance, you just never go to the doctor. The last time we went to the doctor it was $3,000 for tests for (his wife) and we're still paying that off," says True.
And it can mean you paying it off too when those who are uninsured come to hospitals like Trinity for care.
"You find that people without insurance wait longer to come to the ER so they tend to be sicker. What happens is it reduces our ability to reinvest back into additional services for the community," says Davis.
So hospitals like Trinity are preparing budgets for an influx in Emergency Room visits. It could mean more charity care also; Trinity saw a 70-percent jump in the amount of charity care from 2007 to 2008. It went from $12.5 million in '07 to $21.4 million in '08. It did drop in 2009, but only by 8-percent.
Now Congressman Phil Hare has approached the Speaker of the House to try and get the subsidy back before the session ends in a few weeks.
"One way or another it appears the House is going to move on this before we adjourn, which is wonderful news because without it, this is literally life and death for many people," says Hare.
Congressman Hare says Nancy Pelosi agrees, a subsidy extension should be attached to an existing bill being voted on in the next few weeks, and the Senate is on board too.
The subsidy covered 65-percent of medical costs for unemployed workers who remained on former health care plans for nine months. It was part of the stimulus bill.
"I don't think we know the impact at this time, but I really believe it will be significant," says Penny Davis, Trinity Regional Health System Administrator.
That's because coverage for some families on COBRA has skyrocketed. In Illinois, the average COBRA family coverage ran $389 a month with the subsidy, now its $1,139 a month without it, something unaffordable for many without a job.
"For many people this is all they have and one of the reasons we need comprehensive health care. We have 14,000 people everyday in this country losing their health insurance as it is," says St. Rep. Phil Hare, (D) Illinois.
Unless something is done, no subsidy could mean more Americans giving up insurance and going without, like Wayne True.
"We don't have any insurance, you just never go to the doctor. The last time we went to the doctor it was $3,000 for tests for (his wife) and we're still paying that off," says True.
And it can mean you paying it off too when those who are uninsured come to hospitals like Trinity for care.
"You find that people without insurance wait longer to come to the ER so they tend to be sicker. What happens is it reduces our ability to reinvest back into additional services for the community," says Davis.
So hospitals like Trinity are preparing budgets for an influx in Emergency Room visits. It could mean more charity care also; Trinity saw a 70-percent jump in the amount of charity care from 2007 to 2008. It went from $12.5 million in '07 to $21.4 million in '08. It did drop in 2009, but only by 8-percent.
Now Congressman Phil Hare has approached the Speaker of the House to try and get the subsidy back before the session ends in a few weeks.
"One way or another it appears the House is going to move on this before we adjourn, which is wonderful news because without it, this is literally life and death for many people," says Hare.
Congressman Hare says Nancy Pelosi agrees, a subsidy extension should be attached to an existing bill being voted on in the next few weeks, and the Senate is on board too.
