From what I've heard, 6mo is set as such in the case if somebody gets laid off and it takes that long for them to find another job - so they have exactly that a

From what I've heard, 6mo is set as such in the case if somebody gets laid off and it takes that long for them to find another job - so they have exactly that amount of raw cash to survive on for rent/food/miscellaneous. Also medical bills tend to be twice as expensive as what you'd think they are, so a single medical incident can wipe out a solid chunk of that 6mo net.