PROVIDENCE -- Gov. Don Carcieri signed a bill Thursday giving some unemployed Rhode Islanders a break in paying for health insurance.
Under a bill that passed the General Assembly Wednesday, federal stimulus money will be used to help pay 65 percent of health insurance premiums for laid-off workers.
Gov. Don Carcieri, Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts and legislators attended a bill-signing ceremony Thursday.
Related Link: Lt. Governor: COBRA Premium Reduction Program
Employees of Rhode Island companies that have closed or have fewer than 20 workers will now qualify for an open enrollment period if they lost their jobs on or after Sept. 1, 2008.
The legislation targets Rhode Islanders who declined to enroll in the state's extended benefits program previously because it was too expensive.
The new opt-in period for the state plan, sometimes called mini-COBRA after the federal program, ends May 1.
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