Can I Use COBRA For A Few Months To Cover A Medical Procedure?
I’m leaving my current company for a better one and my doctor told me that I have to do a specific treatment, but the new insurance does not cover the treatment I need. Can I get COBRA for 3 months so that I can keep my current coverage and finish the treatment? Is it possible to go on COBRA for 3 months and also get the new insurance the company in offering to me, so I can use COBRA only for the treatment the new insurance does not cover?
The qualifying event of leaving a job opens a special enrollment period to continue on your previous employer’s plan. Continuing on an employer-sponsored health plan is a legal right under the COBRA Act. When you elect COBRA, you may remain on it for up to 18 months (your dependents may have up to 36 months).
You may use COBRA for a few months. Canceling COBRA early is not considered a qualifying event. If you want major medical, ACA-certified coverage, you will need to go onto a new employer health plan or wait until open enrollment, which happens in November.
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Canceling COBRA Health Insurance
When you get new health insurance, you will need to cancel your COBRA insurance. You may not have COBRA and another work plan at the same time.
To cancel your COBRA, contact the plan administrator.
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COBRA Eligibility
COBRA Third-Party Administrators
Your COBRA plan may be managed by a third-party administrator. Many employers work with the following:
- ADP COBRA
- BASIC COBRA
- BAS' COBRA Control Services
- BenefitConnect EHR
- Businessolver / BenefitSolver
- Burnham & Flower
- BRI COBRA (Benefits Resource)
- bswift COBRA
- COBRAPoint Benaissance
- Employee Benefits Corp (EBC)
- Lifetime Benefit Solutions
- Navia Benefit Solutions
- Optum Financial
- Paychex
- Payflex
- Paycom COBRA
- PlanSource
- ThrivePass
- Total Administrative Service Corporation (TASC)
- 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.
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