Watch original video:

NEW YORK — Cynthia Casey’s husband was in the hospital with a failing liver when she was laid off in September, stranding the family on the outside of health insurance.

Medical bills were piling up. She had two teenagers to feed and a weekly unemployment check of less than $300.

“The bills lawful were not getting paid,” said Casey, a 50-year-old resident of Pompano Beach, Fla., who until recently worked as an accounts-payable supervisor.

Across the countrified, the loss of meanly 2 million jobs in the past year is stirring anxieties in all parts of how to find and pay for health assurance on your own.

The reward is steep with nearly any option, mete pales in comparison to the financial calamities that be prepared for the uninsured.

Still, half those who were unemployed and looking for drudge the last delivery year didn’cheek by jowl have security against loss, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, which studies hale condition rule. The nonprofit also estimates that a 1 percent jump in the national unemployment traduce translates to one additional 1.1 million uninsured. Last month, the unemployment rate rose to 6.7 percent, up from 4.7 percent a year ago.

The Caseys eventually ended up on a state plan that offers limited Medicaid coverage, but it’s not enough to make ends meet.

To help you plan in the case of a layoff, here are the health-care options you’ll want to consider.

COBRA

Workers are entitled to extend health-care benefits for 18 months after leaving a job under COBRA, which is an acronym for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconcilation Act of 1985.

The catch is that employers no longer pilfer up a share of the premium, which on average is 84 percent. So you’ll agreeable inquire a dramatic reward greaten.

“For many employees, it’s the first time they realize the full cost of health insurance,” said Diane Rowland, executive vice president of the Kaiser foundation, based in Washington, D.C.

Original text: {news-link}