AFSCME Backs Biden Plan for Government to Cover Full Cost of COBRA Premiums During Coronavirus Pandemic

WASHINGTON — AFSCME President Lee Saunders issued the following statement supporting former Vice President Joe Biden’s proposal for Congress to provide federal assistance to cover 100 percent of COBRA health premiums for workers who have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 crisis. Biden made the recommendation on Wednesday during a livestreamed roundtable discussion with workers, including an AFSCME member from Lancaster, Pa., who works in unemployment assistance for the Commonwealth:

“Vice President Biden is absolutely right that Congress should pass assistance to cover the full cost of COBRA health premiums for workers who have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus. We have seen an unprecedented surge in the number of jobless claims from hardworking people who, through no fault of their own, are struggling to pay their bills. Too many Americans have been stripped of their jobs, and it would be unconscionable to leave them without their health care too.”