Cal COBRA Insurance is a state run California COBRA Insurance program mostly meant for people who do not qualify for federal COBRA coverage. Under the Cal COBRA Plan people who work at companies with fewer than 20 employees can qualify for Cal COBRA and continue to keep their health insurance plan from their employer. Here are the answers to some common questions about Cal-COBRA.
1. Who can sign up for Cal-COBRA?
In most situations, employees as well as their spouse and children can sign up for Cal-COBRA and continue their insurance coverage. This normally applies to anyone who was covered under the employer’s plan. However it is good to keep in mind that the following conditions will make people ineligible for Cal-COBRA:
- Finding coverage with another group health insurance plan
- Becoming eligible for the federal COBRA insurance plan
- Qualifying for Medicare or Medi-Cal
2. What “qualifying events” normally qualify someone for Cal COBRA insurance?
The most common qualifyng events that qualify an employee or family member for Cal COBRA are death of the covered employee, when the employee loses or quits their job, divorce or separation from the covered employee, losing status as a dependent child, or when the covered employee becomes eligible for Medicare.
Many people do not know that if they do not qualify for federal COBRA insurance, they may still qualify for a state run COBRA insurance plan, usually known as mini COBRA insurance. These plans are meant to help people and usually cover people who work at smaller companies with between 2-19 employees. They also sometimes extend benefits after COBRA insurance has run out. The following states offer mini COBRA insurance programs:
Many people have heard of COBRA insurance but few people actually know how it works. Essentially COBRA insurance works by allowing someone to choose to keep their employer’s health insurance plan after leaving a job, losing a job, or quitting a job. It was established to help families and make sure they they didn’t suddenly lose health insurance if someone lost their job. Under the current federal COBRA insurance regulations, most people who lose or quit their job and work for a company with at least 20 employees who receive health insurance will qualify for COBRA. This benefit also extends of family members.
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