Are independent contractors eligible for the new ARRA Cobra subsidy?

You are only eligible for the subsidy if you have been employed and covered by insurance then lost your job. When this happens the employer must offer you Cobra which is an extension of the companies insurance plan. You must be unemployed through no fault of your own to be eligible for the subsidy and you must not be eligible for coverage under a spouse's insurance plan.

Independent Contractors are not eligible unless they are covered by a company under a company insurance plan.

Shirley

A independent contactor could not have ever been covered under a company insurance plan, since that would be for employees only.

So since you could not have had insurance though that company, you can't even get cobra.

There are many restrictions on the subsidy also

If you were an outside sales consultant from a company such as an insurance agent or other outside sales and considered an independent contractor as such you may have been covered by the employer's plan.

The Cobra site at the Department of Labor will be able to answer those questions it is quite comprehensive:
COBRA Continuation Coverage Assistance Under The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act Of 2009 (http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/COBRA.html)

There is also an archive of a two hour webcast discussing the new cobra subsidy which you can listen to. It is geared for employers , however, it does have all the information on the new subsidy.

Shirley