Congress passed the landmark Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) health benefit provisions in 1986. The law amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, the Internal Revenue Code and the Public Health Service Act to provide continuation of group health coverage that otherwise might be terminated.

Yes. Under HIPAA any period of time that you are receiving COBRA continuation coverage is counted as previous health coverage as long as the coverage occurred without a break in coverage of 63 days or more. For example, if you were covered continuously for 5 months by a previous health plan and then received 7 months of COBRA continuation coverage, you would be entitled to receive credit for 12 months of coverage by your new group health plan. Not if you enroll when you are first eligible.

To be eligible for COBRA coverage, you must have been enrolled in your employer's health plan when you worked and the health plan must continue to be in effect for active employees. COBRA continuation coverage is available upon the occurrence of a qualifying event that would, except for the COBRA continuation coverage, cause an individual to lose his or her health care coverage.

Cal-COBRA extends COBRA-like benefits (i.e. continuation of coverage) to employees and dependent spouses and children of firms of less than 20 employees. For further information, visit the Cal-COBRA Highlights webpage.

Employers must notify plan administrators of a qualifying event within 30 days after an employee's death, termination, reduced hours of employment or entitlement to Medicare. A qualified beneficiary must notify the plan administrator of a qualifying event within 60 days after divorce or legal separation or a child's ceasing to be covered as a dependent under plan rules.

Yes, disability can extend the 18 month period of continuation coverage for a qualifying event that is a termination of employment or reduction of hours.

Up to 18 months for covered employees, as well as their spouses and their dependents, when workers otherwise would lose coverage because of a termination or reduction of hours. Up to 29 months is available to employees who are determined to have been disabled at any time during the first 60 days of COBRA coverage and applies as well to the disabled employee's nondisabled qualified beneficiaries.

COBRA provides the right to temporarily continue health coverage at group rates if coverage is lost due to certain specific events. The individuals who enroll in COBRA are responsible for 100% of the group premium, plus an additional 2%.

The Getty will notify the affected family member within 30 days after an employee's death, termination, reduced hours of employment or entitlement to Medicare. If you get divorced, enter into a legal separation, terminate a registered same-sex domestic partnership or a child ceases to be eligible under plan rules, you must notify HR Benefits of the qualifying event within 60 days of the event.

Under COBRA, participants, covered spouses and dependent children may continue their plan coverage for a limited time when they would otherwise lose coverage due to a particular event, such as divorce (or legal separation). A covered employee's spouse who would lose coverage due to a divorce may elect continuation coverage under the plan for a maximum of 36 months. A qualified beneficiary must notify the plan administrator of a qualifying event within 60 days after divorce or legal separation.

HIPAA responsibilities do not eliminate or replace small employers' responsibilities under COBRA, but there are some places where they can be coordinated. HIPAA makes three changes to COBRA's continuation coverage, as described below. These changes were effective on January 1, 1997, regardless of when the event occurs that entitles the individual to continuation coverage. A disabled individual (as determined under the Social Security Act) is entitled to 29 months of COBRA continuation coverage.

All PEBB medical plans have a conversion option for those losing coverage under the group plan after COBRA benefits expire. If they do not choose to convert to an individual policy, the self-paid group coverage will end when the COBRA continuation period expires.

COBRA coverage begins on the date that health care coverage would otherwise have been lost by reason of a qualifying event.

COBRA establishes required periods of coverage for continuation health benefits. A plan, however, may provide longer periods of coverage beyond those required by COBRA. COBRA beneficiaries generally are eligible for group coverage during a maximum of 18 months for qualifying events due to employment termination or reduction of hours of work.

Beneficiaries may be required to pay for COBRA coverage. The premium cannot exceed 102 percent of the cost to the plan for similarly situated individuals who have not incurred a qualifying event, including both the portion paid by employees and any portion paid by the employer before the qualifying event, plus 2 percent for administrative costs.