Over 50 Companies Getting Fed Money to Keep Retirees Insured

APPLETON, Wis. (WTAQ) - Over 50 Wisconsin companies will get money from the national health reform law, so they can keep giving insurance to their retired employees.

Governor Jim Doyle says the law firm of Foley and Lardner, Appleton papers, and Racine County are among those approved for what’s called the “Early Retiree Re-insurance Program.”

$5 billion in federal money is being set aside to help employers maintain coverage for those 55 to 64 who have retired, but do not qualify for Medicare yet.

The number of firms offering those benefits has dropped sharply in recent years. The funding is available on a first-come first-served basis, so the governor is urging other companies to apply for it.