One of the benefits
of COBRA coverage is that it allows you to continue health coverage for your spouse and dependents, whereas Medicare only covers your own health care needs.
The duration
of COBRA coverage is limited, usually up to 18 months.
Not exact matches
Since
COBRA does not kick in automatically, your child must apply for
coverage (and should do so quickly, since time
of eligibility is limited).
The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (
COBRA) health benefit provisions require group health plans to provide a temporary continuation
of group health
coverage that otherwise might be terminated.
Assuming your employer is large enough to be subjected to
COBRA requirements, following the termination
of your relationship, and termination from
coverage under the plan, your partner would receive a
COBRA offer from the plan.
Worse, if your employer went out
of business or no longer carries a group health plan, you may not be eligible for
COBRA coverage.
If you are recently out
of work and without
coverage, you may want to consider purchasing
COBRA insurance
coverage for you and your family or even catastrophic health insurance
coverage until you can hopefully receive
coverage through a group plan with an employer.
I have 2 months
of COBRA premium
coverage courtesy
of my former employer before I'm on my own.
Of course, depending on the situation, it's also important to inform laid - off employees about their legal right to file an unemployment claim, as well as continue any health benefits
coverage through
COBRA.
Until the opening
of these healthcare exchanges, the only realistic option was to continue
coverage through
COBRA.
As companies seek ways to scale back benefits, a term life policy can supplement weak whole life
coverage from an employer, or fill a similar gap to that
of COBRA insurance should a person become unemployed or lose his benefits.
If you have employer provided health
coverage, upon unfortunate termination you may have the option
of continuing
coverage through
COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) with an additional cost.
This type
of policy works best if you are without
coverage, unemployed, just graduated from college, or are considering
COBRA.
COBRA provides
coverage for all members
of your family, which is very convenient.
If you retire and walk away from your employer - sponsored health plan before you reach age 65 and are eligible for Medicare, you'll have to fill the gap with a private health insurance plan or Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (
COBRA)
coverage - both
of which can be very costly.
COBRA itself is not a health insurance plan; instead, it is the set
of rules that dictates continuing health insurance
coverage.
Even if your (former) employer pays your
COBRA for a few months as part
of a severance agreement, or your best friend's cousin's aunt is making that Blue Cross payment, it's still your responsibility to do so, and if you don't, your
coverage is lost.
However, sixty percent
of Americans still get healthcare
coverage through their employer, and despite the ACA,
COBRA is still a vital part
of the American healthcare system.
Number
of employees not accepting your SHOP
coverage offer who are covered by other insurance (like another job plan, a spouse's or another person's
coverage,
COBRA, the individual and family Health Insurance Marketplace, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans
coverage, Indian Health Service
coverage, or TRICARE).
Under the stipulations
of the «Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act» (
COBRA), a law that was passed in 1985, under certain situations «your employer must offer continuation group health care
coverage to you and certain family members for 18 to 36 months.»
An employer has thirty days to notify the insurance company
of your eligibility for
COBRA continuation
of benefits, and the insurance company then has fourteen days to provide you with information regarding the costs and benefits
of the health care continuation
coverage.
If you take advantage
of COBRA, the
coverage plan you will have is the one you had at the time
of the event that triggered your loss
of employer health care.
Learn more about
COBRA continuation
coverage from the Department
of Labor in «An Employee's Guide to Health Benefits Under
COBRA.»
However, you may be eligible to continue this
coverage for 18 months through
COBRA continuation
coverage if you're willing to pay both your share
of the premiums and the part
of the premiums your employer had been paying.
The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act
of 1996, known as
COBRA, allows you to continue to buy
coverage under your employer - provided group health plan.
The consequences
of being late paying for
COBRA can range from a bit
of a hassle to permanently losing your
COBRA coverage.
So although your special enrollment period will give you the option
of enrolling outside the exchange if you prefer, you can't get a subsidy to help pay for health insurance not purchased through your exchange (that includes
COBRA; if you opt to keep your
coverage via
COBRA, you'll have to pay the full premium yourself).
If you lose your workplace health insurance due to a lay - off, divorce or death
of a spouse, or other qualifying event, you can temporarily continue your employer - sponsored health plan
coverage through a federal law known as
COBRA.
But, to take advantage
of the subsidy, you'll have to forgo your
COBRA coverage and enroll in an Obamacare plan through the health insurance exchange during your 60 - day special enrollment period.
And
COBRA sets the period
of time that
coverage may be continued (18 months for the first two contingencies, 36 months for the remaining 4).
This initial
COBRA premium payment will be larger than subsequent monthly payments since it usually covers more than one month
of health insurance
coverage.
Your Initial
COBRA premium must be paid within 45 days
of the time you elect
COBRA coverage.
For example, if you lose
coverage on May 1 and mail your
COBRA election form on June 15, your initial premium must be paid within 45 days
of June 15.
Usually those who do not have access to Group Health
coverage sponsored by employer (people who are self - employed, leave their job or start another job that does not provide adequate health insurance, or those who run out
of COBRA benefits) and do not qualify for public programs, have to buy Individual Health Insurance
coverage.
And although HIPAA protections did not extend to private individual market
coverage, some states had adopted regulations that allowed HIPAA - eligible individuals to purchase guaranteed issue
coverage in the individual market (HIPAA - eligible means that the person had at least 18 months
of creditable
coverage without a gap
of more than 63 days, and the most recent creditable
coverage was under an employer - sponsored plan, a government plan, or a church plan; also, the individual must have exhausted
COBRA if it was available, and can't be eligible for Medicare or Medicaid).
Continuing your comprehensive health plan with
COBRA coverage can be preemptively expensive and is only a short - term fix in the best
of circumstances.
Worse, if your employer went out
of business or no longer carries a group health plan, you may not be eligible for
COBRA coverage.
Some
coverage allows «
COBRA» type options, where you can continue the group policy for a period
of time after leaving the employer, or converting it to individual
coverage.
Individuals may need to apply for
COBRA coverage first then wait until the end
of the
coverage period before obtaining a conversion policy.
COBRA coverage was simply unavailable to the vast majority
of Americans who qualified for it because
of cost.
With high, lingering unemployment (11.0 % as
of March, 2010), many Alabama families have been forced off their employer - based health
coverage and have found themselves unable to afford an extension
of health benefits through the
COBRA health insurance program.
Also, if you have problems getting health insurance — for instance, if you just lost your
COBRA coverage you had from your old job — talk to an agent about how to make up the difference in your budget by reducing the cost
of your other
coverages.
COBRA premiums can make the continuation
of existing health
coverage impractical, especially if the federal government doesn't reinstate subsidies that provide for 65 %
of these premium costs.
Among the Department
of Labor's top 20 requests are information on
COBRA health insurance continuation
coverage, the Family Medical Leave Act benefits, United States employment statistics, health plans, minimum wage and unemployment insurance.
LESSON TO LEARN: If you are in danger
of losing your employer - provided health care
coverage, you are likely able to take advantage
of the federal
COBRA law, which provides a mechanism to obtain health care
coverage continuation.
Blog» «To be eligible for
COBRA coverage, must I be on my employer's medical plan for any certain period
of time?»
After this period
of time, you may be eligible for
COBRA, which is a federal program that may allow you to continue group - plan
coverage for up to 18 months and in some situations as long as 36 months.
If you do not qualify for continued
coverage under state law, you may qualify for continued
coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act
of 1985 (
COBRA).
With the high cost
of COBRA for the spouse who does not have their own health care insurance, some parties are better served by waiting until the unemployed spouse has achieved
coverage through their new employer to complete the divorce process.
The option
of continuing with
coverage in the same manner received during the marriage can be a great relief — The option
of continuing
coverage without incurring the substantially increased fees
COBRA requires can augment the relief considerably.