CAREERS NOW 04-05-09

Health Care and Wheels for the Jobless

DEAR JOYCE: I've got two kids with allergies - one has a skin rash. I've lost my health insurance along with my employment. They've gone to their doctor but I've seen up close what the future holds if we don't get new health insurance. I'm motivated!

My vulnerable position means that failure is not an option. In my late 40s, with a college degree and good work experience, you'd think that I'd be able to find a job after 12 weeks of searching. Not! Have a question for you:

Among the buckets of advice I've read, some exert says that job seekers often discover that lining up interviews is easier during times when the economy goes splat! Why? Supposedly it's easier because so many jobless people are hiding out. Or waiting by their computer for e-mail interview invitations that never come. Could this easier-interview-timing statement be true?" - R.S.L.

I've heard the same supposition, but I don't buy it. Quite the opposite. I suspect that interviews are even harder to obtain now than they were, say, two years ago. Published job openings immediately attract hundreds to thousands of applicants these days, even for exotic jobs. At a recent single-employer job fair in Providence, R.I., more than 200 people showed up at the Foxy Lady strip club to compete for 30 positions, from dancers and waitresses to disc jockeys and bartenders.

The take-away: Persevere by continuously interviewing and following up. Try not to be a pest, but call back leads as often as you can impart or receive new information, or massage old information.

Explaining why a strong follow-up campaign is essential, all-time-great career guru Marilyn Moats Kennedy (no relation) once told me: "Those who get hired are the ones who let everyone know that they won't leave until they are hired. They wear employers down. What employers should feel, gut level, is that you're absolutely committed to getting the job."

As for your health insurance, while a new freebie is no substitute for comprehensive coverage, Walgreens is offering free walk-in clinic visits - typically the treatments cost $59 or more - to the unemployed and uninsured for the rest of the year. The company, through its in-store Take Care clinics, will provide tests and routine treatment for minor ailments. Get details from Walgreens. See more about health care costs for the jobless in the next letter.

DEAR JOYCE: Everyone knows that COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) is health continuation insurance that you can get if you lose your job, but it's so expensive! I've heard that the stimulus bill provides that the government will pay for part of the premium costs. I could sure use the help if I need to use COBRA. How can I get the details? - S.P.

Whether you are eligible for a COBRA subsidy through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act depends on several factors. But, if you're lucky, you'll qualify for a 65 percent reduction in your COBRA premium. When your workplace human resource department can't explain, search online for "Stimulus Bill Provides Subsidized COBRA Coverage," a brief review of key facts prepared by consulting firm Watson Wyatt. If you're fuzzy about how COBRA works, visit the U.S. Department of Labor at www.dol.gov and search for COBRA information.

By the way, many people use pricey COBRA because it's all they can get. A recent newspaper report by John Dorschner in the Miami Herald, "How insurers secretly blacklist millions with common ailments," details why individual health insurance can be unobtainable. Search for the report online - it's an eye-opener.

DEAR JOYCE: Public transit is scarce where I live. I work nights at a restaurant but worry that my 17-year-old car will unexpectedly breakdown on the way home - a scary thought. I can't afford to quit my job. Is there stimulus money to help me get a new car? -- V.A.A.

Perhaps indirectly. You may be in luck. To kick-start sagging auto sales, at least two U.S. car makers have launched payment protection plans to help reassure consumers who may be putting off buying a new car because of worries about their jobs.

It's my understanding that until April 30, for people who buy General Motors vehicles, GM, which is taking federal bailout funds, will make nine car payments of $500 each for those who blamelessly lose their jobs and qualify for state unemployment benefits. And although Ford didn't request stimulus money, that company, until June 1, requiring similar conditions for eligibility will cover payments of up to $700 each month for up to a year on any new Ford, Lincoln or Mercury. Caveat: Check the fine print at dealerships.

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