Obama Considers Major Expansion in Jobless Aid

[babylonsister]

Obama Considers Major Expansion in Jobless Aid

By JACKIE CALMES and CARL HULSE
Published: January 3, 2009


CHICAGO — President-elect Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats are considering major expansions of government-assisted health care insurance and unemployment compensation as they begin intensive work this week on a two-year economic recovery package.

One proposal, as described by Democratic advisers, would extend unemployment compensation to part-time workers, an idea that Congressional Republicans have blocked in the past.

Other policy changes would subsidize employers’ expenses for temporarily continuing health insurance coverage to laid-off and retired workers and their dependents, as mandated under a 22-year-old federal law known as Cobra, and allow workers who lose jobs that did not come with insurance benefits to be eligible, for the first time, to apply for Medicaid coverage.

The proposals indicate the sorts of potentially long-range changes that Mr. Obama intends to push in his promised American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, as he named it in his weekly Saturday address on the radio and YouTube. They will be combined with one-time measures that are more typical of federal stimulus packages to jump-start a weak economy, like spending for roads and other job-creating public works projects.

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/us/politics/04stimulus.html?em

[chimpymustgo]

1. One President at a time!! He shouldn't be talking about this. Right?

[Thrill]

4. I don't see any quotes from Obama

[Kdillard]

2. Well this outline sounds promising. Hopefully over the next few weeks and after

the meetings on Monday we will be hearing further specifics and will get to see it online

[Thrill]

3. And people claimed Obama wasn't going to be a Progressive President

[INdemo]

5. Democrats are worried about what Republicans will do

Harry Reid has gotta go....He will still be kissing Republicans asses even with what appears will be a 9 vote Majority.He caves to Republicans before the debates even start.If Obama along with his advisors wants legislation that will stimulate the economy it cannot be watered down because Repukes want their way...Harry Reid has never been a real Senate leader for the Democrats and its time we move on with someone with a real backbone.

[babylonsister]

6. Reid isn't going anywhere, so you might as well find a different

cause. And what's the point of ripping apart a possible good story anyway? This isn't about Reid.

[INdemo]

7. If you read the complete story

Republicans are organizing their ranks to water down this stimulus package just because they are Republicans....You are correct that Reid wont be going anywhere but I ask, has there ever been any legislation that Democrats propose that Harry Reid ends up giving
Republicans their way just to get a bill passed?..and ends up being so watered down thats its nearly ineffective for the intended purpose of the bill.
And on the flip side Republicans never caved as easily as this Democratic leadership has (if ever)when they were in the Majority.That was my point......Reid may not be going anywhere but historically compared to other Senate leaders he is very weak.We need a more progressive leader in the Senate.......

[mucifer]

8. I heard Jan Sharkowski on the radio yesterday. She thinks the stimulus will

pass the senate. She says there are a few moderate repubs who will cross the aisle. With 59 voting dems it's not gonna be like last year.

[babylonsister]

9. OK, and yes, I'm well aware of some rethugs and their intention to

fight the stimulus bill and anything else proposed by Dems.

Reid has many failings imo. I'm just going to wait and see how he handles this new majority he'll be dealing with, because he really isn't going anywhere just yet.

I hear he has a 2010 fight on his hands to keep his seat, though I don't want any Dems to lose theirs; it's too critical a time for that.

[Enrique]

11. get used to it

with the Senate being where the dems are least dominant, "Reid must go!" will be a constant knee-jerk reaction to every disappointment, or perceived disappointment, or manufactured disappointment. Even successes will cause people to call for Reid's head.

[babylonsister]

13. I see that - all over the place.

I'll try to adjust, though I wish they were calling for McConnell's head. That would make more sense to me.

[Enrique]

14. the Freepers will be doing that

telling McConnell to get some cojones, lamenting how he "always caves" to Obama. They will demand filibusters of all of his appointments and all of the dems' legislation.

[glowing]

12. Kind of wonder if its true.. dems are just supposed to look and act a bit

more benevolent than the piggies.. but in the end they all feed at the same trough.

[Grateful for Hope]

10. K&R. n/t

[wildflower]

15. "workers who lose jobs that did not come with insurance benefits to be eligible...for Medicaid"

This is good. I hope to see more in this direction.

[Odin2005]

16. Good! n/t

[leftofthedial]

17. what about those of us who have been unemployed or underemployed

for a long time? Do we fall through yet another set of cracks?