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Q:  Hello, I will be taking a temporary leave of absence from a temporary staffing agency. I will be leaving on December 5, 2008 and returning to work at the latest on February 1, 2009. We are currently insured as part of their mini medical plan. My wife is currently pregnant and is due February 8, 2009. The pregnancy is progressing normally and there are we are not aware any conditions. What is the best plan for this type of coverage?

A:  COBRA is a federal law, which allows you to continue on your previous employer’s (if there is more than 20 employees) group health plan.   When you elect COBRA coverage, it will be a continuation of the same group health plan that you were on the day before your insurance was terminated.  If the pregnancy was covered now, it will be covered with the COBRA election.  Since this would be the same policy, the benefits would be the same.  You will get the election form in the mail from your employer and it should take no more than 45 days. You will only have 60 days from the day that information was mailed to you to elect coverage. Your coverage will back date as soon as you send in the election form and your first premium payment.  So if she has had to seek medical treatment during that enrollment time, she will be covered. You will just have to resubmit those bills after the COBRA is in effect. 

When you get back to work you would just cancel your COBRA coverage and re-enroll on your group plan.  You should speak with someone in your HR department to find the easiest way to get this done.