For a typical family in my neck of the woods COBRA...

For a typical family in my neck of the woods COBRA insurance would cost approximately $1,000 per month. The income for the same family would be a bit over $2000 per month if only 1 parent received unemployment benefits. With rents averaging $1000 per mo. there's no way that this typical family is going to pay for COBRA coverage, if they did the prescriptions they would get from a doctor's visit would be for food for malnutrition. Even if the gov. were to subsidize COBRA most families still could not afford the 50 to 60% premium. There may be unforseeable problems with subsidizing COBRA, how will it affect rates for employers who are being slaughtered by the enormous premiums they already pay? What about the portions of that premium that the employee pays that is taken out of his or her paycheck? Premiums for the plan I belong to have increased by almost 200% over the past 10 years and will increase again this year, why? It seems the only way US companies can compete,particularly in the dying manufacturing sector is to eliminate health insurance altogether, or, move to Mexico,China,etc.and not deal with it, is this subsidy going to help save my job?