Nationwide, average monthly unemployment benefits range from $800 in Mississippi to $1,698 in Massachusetts, according to Families USA. The average monthly COBRA premiums for family coverage range from $885 in Hawaii and $915 in Nevada to $1,191 in New Hampshire.

The average monthly COBRA premiums for individual coverage range from $334 in Hawaii and $336 in Arkansas to $444 in Delaware.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. economy lost more jobs in 2008 than in any year since 1945 as employers fired another 524,000 people in December.

On average nationally, unemployment monthly benefits are $1,278 while COBRA monthly premiums for family coverage are $1,069 — or 83.6 percent of unemployment benefits. In nine states, the average COBRA premiums equal or exceed unemployment benefits.

In Michigan, which has been especially hard hit by the recession, the average monthly benefit for laid-off workers is $1,276. For those workers to retain employer-sponsored health coverage for their families through COBRA, they, on average, will need to pay $1,075 in premiums — or 84 percent of their benefits.

Closer to home in Arizona, benefits are $937 compared to average family COBRA premiums of $1,084. That's 116 percent of unemployment payments. In Alaska, average COBRA premiums for family coverage consume 132 percent of unemployment income.

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E-mail: jthalman@desnews.com