It is a little known fact that COBRA benefits are only available to people who have been laid off from a company with 20 or more employees. This means that small business owners are faced with the knowledge that when they are forced to lay off their employees due to sagging profits, these employees will be unable to acquire COBRA health insurance coverage. However, they may be able to get “mini-COBRA” which is a three month provision for employees of small businesses. The stimulus package which is now subsidizing the standard COBRA to make it more affordable will also extend to the “mini-COBRA” to make it more affordable as well. COBRA prior to the stimulus was so pricey that most people could not afford it at all, but now it is within reach of more unemployed folks. Unfortunately, three months is not a very lengthy period of time for people to get back on their feet, so employees of small businesses are still at a disadvantage. Do you think they should have access to the same 18 months as employees of larger companies?