Would you like to...

Print this page

Email this page

Post a comment

Subscribe me

Add to favorites

User Opinions (2 votes)

100% 0%

---

How would you rate this answer?

Helpful

Not helpful Help us improve. Why was this unhelpful?

Thank you for rating this answer.

Q:  My last day at my company was 3/6/09 and I have still not received any information regarding Cobra, yet. If I have to go to the doctor between the date that my group health insurance with the company expires and my new insurance coverage kicks in at my new job (approximately 4/16/09), how is this covered and what do I need to do to get it covered?

A:  COBRA is the name of a federal law. COBRA contains provisions giving certain former employees, retirees, spouses and dependent children the right to temporarily continue their health coverage at group rates. Your employer is required by law to offer you the continuation of their group health policy for up to 18 months if there are more than 20 employees. You will need to request a COBRA packet from your employer, sometimes the HR dept or benefits manager. They will send you an election form in the mail (they have 45 days to send it) for you to complete. Once you complete this form and return it with in 60 days, your insurance will be retro-active to your last day of employment.  You will not have any lapse or gap in coverage.

COBRA is fairly expensive to cover when your employer doesn’t pay some of the premium.  It may be cheaper to just pay out of pocket for the visit, depending on what the visit is for, than paying for two months worth of COBRA.  You should weigh your options and see what would be your best bet.