A new analysis from the Commonwealth fund finds that only 1 in 10 unemployed workers obtain coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, or COBRA. COBRA is a 1985 law that allows for the temporary extension of group health coverage to people whose health benefits otherwise would be terminated. COBRA begins when a qualifying event trigger the loss of health coverage and allows up to 18 months of continued coverage for certain qualifying events. Coverage cannot exceed 36 months.