In February 2009, Congress approved a 65 percent subsidy for COBRA premiums to help those who had been laid off starting in September 2008.
Congress extended the COBRA subsidy three times to cover workers who lost their jobs through May 2010. The subsidy lasted for up to 15 months.
Here are two good sources of info:
DOL fact sheet :
http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/newsroom/fsCOBRApremiumreduction.htmland a good article by benefits pro
http://www.benefitspro.com/2011/08/30/6-faqs-about-end-of-cobra-subsidyEmployers told me, in the past year, that workers would not take job offers because the health care premium they would be would be higher than the subsidized amount.
It will interesting to see what happens now.