Thursday, April 16, 2020 | 3:57 p.m.
U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada has proposed an expansion of worker health care protection that he hopes will be included in the next federal coronavirus bill package.
Horsford, along with fellow Democratic Reps. Bobby Scott of Virginia and Debbie Dingell of Michigan, introduced a bill that would expand benefits under the Consolidated
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA).
COBRA benefits allow workers to buy into their employer-sponsored health care program after losing work or hours for a limited time by paying both their and their employer’s portion of the premium.
It can be a cost-prohibitive program due to the generally larger payments employers make into health insurance.
Under Horsford’s bill, the Worker Health Coverage Protection Act, the government would cover the full cost of the COBRA premium, allowing workers to maintain continuity in health care service if they lose their job during the pandemic.
“We have a lot of workers in the hospitality industry, and many of them have great health care benefits,” Horsford said. “Well, their employers contribute every month to those benefits, and when they’re laid off or furloughed and they’re not maintaining their hours, they can’t pay into their health fund. It’s cost prohibitive when their employers aren’t providing their match.”
Horsford, whose district makes up much of North Las Vegas and a large portion of the state’s rural areas, said the bill would be a boon to Nevadans due to the predicted economic impact the pandemic will have on the state’s workforce.
“What I know is based on all of the information that we’re getting. Because of our hospitality-based economy, (we will be hit hard),” he said. “Moody’s analytics and other economists indicate that Nevada is likely to be the hardest financially hit state by the coronavirus outbreak, or among the top hardest hit states.”
The bill will provide 100% government financing of COBRA benefits for up to 15 months. According to a summary of the bill, it would be available to workers in most employment-
based health care plans, including “private sector plans covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, multiemployer plans, state and local government plans and the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program.”
“This is of huge need because a full subsidy will maximize affordability and most importantly continuity for temporarily laid off workers,” Horsford said. Subsidies would be available to workers who were laid off, furloughed or had their hours cut due to the pandemic.
House leadership, Horsford said, has indicated it will return to work on further legislation as soon as May 4. A Senate version of the bill is also being worked on, Horsford said.
“There is the possibility that legislation may move before that on some emergency measures dealing with the paycheck protection (program) and some additional funding to hospitals and local and state government,” Horsford said.
Horsford said he believes there is political support for the bill’s measures.
“It’s necessary,” he said. “It’s good for the worker; it’s good for the health care system. We do not need more people to become uninsured during a public health crisis.”
