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The coverage is mandated for a maximum of only 18 months, and it is expensive, usually costing 102 percent of what the employer and employee had together been paying.
Bell said that his company, which has offices in Upperville and Leesburg, among others, works with people who have been laid off and tries to develop an individual or family plan for them. Barring significant health problems, that premium is generally going to be lower than the COBRA premium, he said.
That’s even taking recent federal actions into account, Bell said. As part of the massive, $700 billion-plus stimulus plan President Obama signed in February, the federal government will pay 65 percent of COBRA premiums for nine months providing some other qualifying restrictions are met.
“If there are one or two people in the group who have some health issues, that drives the whole group policy up,” Bell said.
There is no good alternative than COBRA for some, he concedes. If you have had a heart attack within the last five years, if you have had cancer within the past 10 years, COBRA is going to be your only real option, he said.
With health care costs galloping out of control, taking health insurance premiums with them, be wary of scams, Bell warned.
If you are quoted rates
91.2%