Many people have lots of questions about COBRA insurance, specifically for their spouses and dependents, if they find themselves eligible for Medicare due to disability or other causes. It is important to know what COBRA health insurance coverage your family will be able to maintain if you begin to qualify under Medicare and honestly it depends on your situation.
If the COBRA insurance that you are currently enrolled in is because of your previous employer and you become qualified for Medicare, this is considered a second qualifying event under the federal COBRA insurance law. This means that you spouse and any dependents are now eligible for an additional 7 months of coverage under the COBRA medical insurance laws.
However, if you were a dependent or spouse, who is now qualified for Medicare, the COBRA insurance continuation of health insurance will end at the length of the initial term and you will no longer be able to receive health insurance under COBRA.
Many people find themselves considering moving when they lose their job and are continuing their coverage under COBRA health insurance. Whether or not you are able to continue to maintain your health insurance coverage under COBRA insurance laws is 100% dependent on your current health insurance plan under COBRA, which is the same as you had with your previous employer.
Losing your job or having your spouse lose or quit your job while you are pregnant can be extremely stressful, however under the COBRA insurance laws, as long as you are eligible for COBRA insurance, you and your soon to be infant can still qualify to continue receiving health insurance under COBRA insurance laws. The COBRA insurance law works in a way that any health insurance coverage you would have received while employed or covered under your spouse’s plan will still remain as long as you qualify and enroll in COBRA insurance.
If you are going through a divorce and are currently covered under your spouse’s insurance plan as a qualified beneficiary, you are eligible for COBRA insurance just like someone who lost or quit their job and lost health insurance coverage. Since you are getting divorced and no longer eligible under your spouse’s insurance plan, you will receive a COBRA insurance notification form from your spouse’s health insurance provider. It is important that you make sure your spouse informs their company of this change.
COBRA Insurance can be a tricky process and you may run into problems and questions throughout your time enrolling or being covered under COBRA medical insurance continuation. Here are three common problems and their solutions so you know what to do if you experience this (although hopefully you won’t).
In wake of the recent NFL lockout for many teams, many NFL players find themselves in the same situation as many Americans, concerned about their own well being and the well being of their families, as they find themselves without a contract and on the verge of a stretch of unemployment. So what are these players doing, the same thing that many Americans do when they find themselves in the same situation. Players on many teams, including the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans are signing up for COBRA insurance to keep themselves and their families protected until the end of the lockout. Stevens, a player on the Titans recently said in an interview with the Tennessean said “”It’s definitely a risk and it stinks. Most of the guys have their Cobra insurance. We’re paying for our insurance. But it stinks if you get hurt. We’re preparing for the season, but the team has no liability towards us.” So what can we learn from this?
On March 11, 2011, representative Anthony Weiner of New York and Barbara Boxer of California introduced new legislation to the House and the Senate, respectively, to ensure that the LGBTQ community would be eligible for COBRA insurance in a bill called the Equal Access to COBRA Act. In sharing the act, Barbara Boxer who submitted a similar bill to the Senate in 2010, that, said “All of our families deserve equal access to health insurance…This bill would help ensure that domestic partners and their families will be able to keep their health coverage if their partner loses their job.” It marks a major win for LGBTQ communities so that they also in this hard economic time have access to the health insurance benefits provided under the COBRA insurance legislation passed in 1985.
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