COBRA Insurance Information Resource
Learn about your temporary health insurance options while between jobs and medical plans.
What Is COBRA Health Insurance?
COBRA is a federal law. Not a company. The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act or COBRA, is a law that gives workers and their families the right to keep their employer’s group health plan after that insurance would end due to job loss or changes in the immediate family.
Is COBRA Right For You?
The purpose of the COBRA Insurance website is to help workers with their continuing health insurance options.
Learn more about when you should continue your health coverage with COBRA or if an affordable temporary medical plan is a better choice.
Are You Eligible?
The employer must have 20 or more workers and you must have been on the employer’s group health insurance plan for 1 day to meet the eligibility requirements.
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COBRA Eligibility
When COBRA Is Too Expensive
When you elect an employer’s COBRA plan, you are paying the full health insurance premium. The cost of COBRA insurance includes the portion your employer was paying for. Some employers may use a third party administrator to manage their COBRA enrollments. These companies may legally charge an additional 2% service fee.
Temporary Health Plans Are An Alternative
One way to reduce the cost of your health insurance is to use a temporary health plan, like Short Term Medical or Accident Only insurance.
This type of insurance can bridge a gap (or “get by”) until your next major medical plan begins. This type of health insurance is a popular option and available in most states. You won’t find these plans on the federal insurance marketplace. These plans are available on private health insurance marketplaces. Temporary plans do not provide preexisting condition coverage.
COBRA Third-Party Administration
Your COBRA plan may be managed by a third-party administrator. Many employers work with the following:
- BASIC COBRA
- BenefitConnect EHR
- Burnham & Flower
- BRI COBRA (Benefits Resource)
- COBRAPoint Benaissance
- Employee Benefits Corp (EBC)
- Lifetime Benefit Solutions
- Navia Benefit Solutions
- Total Administrative Service Corporation (TASC)
- Paychex
- Payflex
- Paycom COBRA
- PlanSource
- WageWorks / Conexis
- WEX (formerly Discovery Benefits)
If you are unsure who your plan administrator is, reach out to the human resources department of the company that provided the health insurance you had.
How Does COBRA Work?
The process of COBRA insurance starts with a qualifying event that would terminate a person’s employer-based health insurance. At that point, a series of deadlines are put in place for the employer to offer the continuation and a plan beneficiary to accept it.
Getting Started On COBRA Insurance
After you leave your job or your work insurance ends, the employer has 45 days to notify you of your option of electing COBRA continuation to maintain your medical coverage. This opens a special open enrollment period for you.
You have 60 days to respond to the election notice and apply for COBRA to continue the same medical policy you are or were on.
COBRA Coverage Is Retroactive? Yes it is.
If a medical issue happens between now and the start of your COBRA insurance coverage, keep your hospital and clinic receipts and statements. The coverage is retroactive to the date that you lost coverage.
You will be reimbursed for those medical expenses, once you pay your COBRA premium.
How Long Does COBRA Last?
You may stay on COBRA insurance for 18 months or 36 months depending on the qualifying event.
The qualifying events determines the length of health insurance continuation. Workers may use COBRA for 18 months, while family members losing insurance may stay on the employer plan for 36 months.
Top COBRA Questions
Find answers to COBRA insurance questions collected over the past 20 years.
- How Much Does COBRA Cost?
- How Do I Login To My COBRA Account?
- Am I Eligible To Get COBRA Health Insurance If I Quit?
- Are COBRA Payments Tax Deductible?
- How Do I Apply For COBRA?
- How Can I Cancel COBRA Coverage?
- Can I Keep My COBRA Plan If I Get A New Job?
- Is COBRA Retroactive?
- What Is Phone Number for COBRA Customer Service?
- Do I Qualify If My Employer Has 19 Or Fewer Workers?
Check out the COBRA FAQ for more questions.
Mini-COBRA is Available In Some States
Depending on the state you live in, some businesses with 19 or fewer employees are required to offer a continuation of health insurance. These laws are similar to federal government’s COBRA, but oftentimes have different deadlines for employer election notices and the length of time a former workers must choose.
Find out which states have Mini-COBRA coverage continuation laws and see if it applies to your situation.
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