The unemployed Americans have much to lose when it comes to health insurance. Families USA, the national organization for health care consumers, released Friday its state-by state comparisons of average unemployment benefits versus average COBRA premiums. COBRA stands for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 and is meant to help workers and their families keep their health insurance if they lose their jobs.

Health insurance plans available under the so-called COBRA program take up more than three-quarters of a worker's government unemployment compensation, the non-profit Families USA reported. "On average nationally, the monthly benefit for unemployment insurance is $1,278. The average COBRA monthly premiums for family coverage are $1,069," Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, told reporters in a telephone briefing.

The U.S. unemployment rate hit 7.2 percent last month, the highest in nearly 16 years. That means that the millions of people who are currently unemployed have to struggle in order to keep their health insurances, because most Americans get their health insurance coverage via employers.

The cost of health coverage under COBRA for displaced workers is usually more expensive than health coverage for active employees, since, usually, the employer pays a part of the premium for active employees, while displaced workers are required to pay the entire premium themselves. On average, the monthly premium for an individual policy in 2008 was $392, and for a family plan, about $1,056 a month, according to a recent Kaiser/HRET survey.

However, many insurance companies are developing more individual and "gap" plans in an effort to make some options more affordable to individuals, due to a growing market demand.