Employers Must Find, Tell Laid-Off Workers of Health Subsidies

Employers have little time to waste in identifying and notifying laid-off employees who qualify for free health-care coverage under the American Rescue Plan signed into law last month by President Joe Biden.

The law provides fully subsidized coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) from April 1 through Sept. 30 for employees who were involuntarily laid off or lost their job-based health plans due to reduced hours during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The $22.8 billion benefit, pushed by employer groups, enables people to keep the expensive coverage temporarily so that they don’t have to change plans or become ...