9 pages. Excerpt: The COBRA subsidy was designed to help support health coverage during the recession and is allowing some of the unemployed to temporarily continue their coverage. However, the subsidy's temporary structure means that soon it will no longer provide help to those trying to maintain their health coverage after a layoff. Specifically, peoplewho are laid-off after December 31, 2009 will not qualify for the subsidy, since it only applies to those who become unemployed from September 1, 2008 to December 31, 2009. In addition, the subsidy will soon come to an end for those who will have been paying the reduced premiums for nine months, which is the maximum length of the subsidy. While Congress may consider extending the COBRA subsidy, the program's reach may remain limited due to gaps in who is eligible for COBRA and the difficulty ofaffording even the subsidized premiums for those with limited resources.  MORE >>