How Do You Sign Up For COBRA Insurance?

How do I apply for COBRA health insurance to avoid a gap in medical coverage?

How To Get COBRA

1. Check Your Eligibility. You may qualify for COBRA health insurance if you experience a job termination, reduction in hours, divorce or widowhood. Check if you qualify by taking the COBRA eligibility survey.
2. Read The COBRA Election Notice.  The employer will send you a COBRA election notice within 45 days of the qualifying event. This notice will tell you how much COBRA insurance will cost and how to apply.
3. Enroll In COBRA. You have a 60-day special enrollment period to sign up. Follow the instructions in your election notice on how to restart your most recent employer health plan.
4. Pay Your Premiums. You will have 45 days to pay your insurance premiums. Non-payment will result in cancellation.

What Is COBRA?

COBRA continuation coverage is a federal law that requires businesses with 20 or more full-time employees to make available their group major medical plan to former covered employees and their qualified beneficiaries should that insurance stop due to a qualifying event.

COBRA Enrollment Deadlines

After your work insurance stops, you will have a special open enrollment period to enroll in health insurance. The following are the deadlines for enrolling in COBRA.

Employer Notice Must Be Sent Within 45 Days

Applying for COBRA begins with the employer who provided the health plan to notify you of your right to continuation. The employer has 30 days to notify the group health plan of the qualifying event. After that, the employer has 14 days to notify you of your COBRA right to keep your work health insurance.

In total, the employer has 45 days to send the COBRA election notice to continue your health plan.

You Have 60 Days To Sign Up For COBRA And Enroll

Once you receive your COBRA enrollment forms from your previous employer, you have 60 days to elect the plan or waive your right to continue. If you have questions regarding how to re-enroll, you’ll want to reach out to the employer’s human resources department and ask for the COBRA Administrator.

When Does Coverage Begin?

Your COBRA insurance will start immediately after making your first premium payment. The coverage is retroactive, to the date the plan initially stopped. There will not be a lapse or gap in your coverage.

If you have incurred out-of-pocket expenses between the time the coverage stopped and then started, you may be reimbursed by your carrier.