Guest guest Posted March 3, 2009 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 COBRA is a law that requires employers with 20 or more employees to let employees and their dependents keep their group health coverage for a time after they leave their group health plan under certain conditions. This is called continuation coverage. You may have this right if you lose your job or have your working hours reduced, or if you are covered under your spouse's plan and your spouse dies or you get divorced. COBRA generally lets you and your dependents stay in your group health plan for 18 months (or up to 29 or 36 months in some cases), but you may have to pay both your share and the employer's share of the premium. Some state's laws require employers with less than 20 employees to let you keep your group health coverage for a time, but you should check with your State Department of Insurance to make sure. McCardell wrote: > > > Hi. I have a patient that has a eghp, but started a COBRA plan > in January. There are only 25 employees at the company. He also > started dialysis about three weeks ago and was told that if he becomes > eligible for Medicare, he will lose his COBRA. > > Can someone please educate me a little about COBRA? > > thanks- > McCardell > University of Utah > Office > Fax > > > -------------------- This electronic message is intended to be for the use only of the named recipient, and may contain information that is confidential or privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error or are not the named recipient, please notify us immediately by contacting the sender at the electronic mail address noted above, and delete and destroy all copies of this message. Thank you. Attachment: vcard [not shown] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 3, 2009 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 I thought if you have cobra in place, you can get medicare. But if you have a commerical and medicare and need to change to cobra, you cannot do that. Patti Montemayor, RN CCTC Transplant Coordinator and White Hospital 2401 S. 31st Street Temple, TX 76508 254/724-8448 FAX 254/724-8772 >>> McCardell 3/3/2009 2:20 PM >>> Hi. I have a patient that has a eghp, but started a COBRA plan in January. There are only 25 employees at the company. He also started dialysis about three weeks ago and was told that if he becomes eligible for Medicare, he will lose his COBRA. Can someone please educate me a little about COBRA? thanks- McCardell University of Utah Office Fax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 3, 2009 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 If you already have Medicare, you can elect Cobra. If you have Cobra and receive Medicare benefits, you will typically lose the Cobra coverage. Debbie Mast Manager, Transplant Financial Coordinators Stanford Hospital and Clinics 750 Welch Road, Suite 220 Palo Alto, CA 94304 Trustee, TFCA Heart, Lung, Heart/Lung, Liver, Kidney, Pancreas, Intestinal Transplant Programs Phone: Fax: This email communication and any attachments may contain confidential information for the use of the designated recipients named above. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this communication in error and that any review, disclosure, dissemination, distribution or copying of it or its contents is prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately by calling the phone number above to arrange for destruction of these documents. Thank you. From: TxFinancialCoordinators [mailto:TxFinancialCoordinators ] On Behalf Of Patti Montemayor Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 12:31 PM To: 'TxFinancialCoordinators ' Subject: Re: COBRA coverage I thought if you have cobra in place, you can get medicare. But if you have a commerical and medicare and need to change to cobra, you cannot do that. Patti Montemayor, RN CCTC Transplant Coordinator and White Hospital 2401 S. 31st Street Temple, TX 76508 254/724-8448 FAX 254/724-8772 >>> McCardell <.McCardellhsc (DOT) utah.edu> 3/3/2009 2:20 PM >>> Hi. I have a patient that has a eghp, but started a COBRA plan in January. There are only 25 employees at the company. He also started dialysis about three weeks ago and was told that if he becomes eligible for Medicare, he will lose his COBRA. Can someone please educate me a little about COBRA? thanks- McCardell University of Utah Office Fax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 3, 2009 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 Thank you for the information. From: TxFinancialCoordinators [mailto:TxFinancialCoordinators ] On Behalf Of Mast, DeborahSent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 1:38 PMTo: TxFinancialCoordinators Subject: RE: COBRA coverage If you already have Medicare, you can elect Cobra. If you have Cobra and receive Medicare benefits, you will typically lose the Cobra coverage. Debbie Mast Manager, Transplant Financial Coordinators Stanford Hospital and Clinics 750 Welch Road, Suite 220 Palo Alto, CA 94304 Trustee, TFCA Heart, Lung, Heart/Lung, Liver, Kidney, Pancreas, Intestinal Transplant Programs Phone: Fax: This email communication and any attachments may contain confidential information for the use of the designated recipients named above. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this communication in error and that any review, disclosure, dissemination, distribution or copying of it or its contents is prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately by calling the phone number above to arrange for destruction of these documents. Thank you. From: TxFinancialCoordinators [mailto:TxFinancialCoordinators ] On Behalf Of Patti MontemayorSent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 12:31 PMTo: 'TxFinancialCoordinators 'Subject: Re: COBRA coverage I thought if you have cobra in place, you can get medicare. But if you have a commerical and medicare and need to change to cobra, you cannot do that. Patti Montemayor, RN CCTCTransplant Coordinator and White Hospital2401 S. 31st StreetTemple, TX 76508254/724-8448FAX 254/724-8772>>> McCardell <.McCardellhsc (DOT) utah.edu> 3/3/2009 2:20 PM >>>Hi. I have a patient that has a eghp, but started a COBRA plan in January. There are only 25 employees at the company. He also started dialysis about three weeks ago and was told that if he becomes eligible for Medicare, he will lose his COBRA.Can someone please educate me a little about COBRA?thanks- McCardellUniversity of Utah Office Fax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 3, 2009 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 From the Department of Labor: http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq_consumer_cobra.html How long does COBRA coverage last? 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. Certain qualifying events, or a second qualifying event during the initial period of coverage, may permit a beneficiary to receive a maximum of 36 months of coverage. Coverage begins on the date that coverage would otherwise have been lost by reason of a qualifying event and will end at the end of the maximum period. It may end earlier if: o Premiums are not paid on a timely basis o The employer ceases to maintain any group health plan o After the COBRA election, coverage is obtained with another employer group health plan that does not contain any exclusion or limitation with respect to any pre-existing condition of such beneficiary. However, if other group health coverage is obtained prior to the COBRA election, COBRA coverage may not be discontinued, even if the other coverage continues after the COBRA election. o After the COBRA election, a beneficiary becomes entitled to Medicare benefits. However, if Medicare is obtained prior to COBRA election, COBRA coverage may not be discontinued, even if the other coverage continues after the COBRA election. Although COBRA specifies certain periods of time that continued health coverage must be offered to qualified beneficiaries, COBRA does not prohibit plans from offering continuation health coverage that goes beyond the COBRA periods. Daryl Battin, LICSW Financial Coordinator/Social Worker Lahey Clinic Kidney Transplant 41 Mall Road, Burlington, MA 01805 Ph: /FAX: Page: From: TxFinancialCoordinators [mailto:TxFinancialCoordinators ] On Behalf Of Mast, Deborah Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 3:38 PM To: TxFinancialCoordinators Subject: RE: COBRA coverage If you already have Medicare, you can elect Cobra. If you have Cobra and receive Medicare benefits, you will typically lose the Cobra coverage. Debbie Mast Manager, Transplant Financial Coordinators Stanford Hospital and Clinics 750 Welch Road, Suite 220 Palo Alto, CA 94304 Trustee, TFCA Heart, Lung, Heart/Lung, Liver, Kidney, Pancreas, Intestinal Transplant Programs Phone: Fax: This email communication and any attachments may contain confidential information for the use of the designated recipients named above. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this communication in error and that any review, disclosure, dissemination, distribution or copying of it or its contents is prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately by calling the phone number above to arrange for destruction of these documents. Thank you. From: TxFinancialCoordinators [mailto:TxFinancialCoordinators ] On Behalf Of Patti Montemayor Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 12:31 PM To: 'TxFinancialCoordinators ' Subject: Re: COBRA coverage I thought if you have cobra in place, you can get medicare. But if you have a commerical and medicare and need to change to cobra, you cannot do that. Patti Montemayor, RN CCTC Transplant Coordinator and White Hospital 2401 S. 31st Street Temple, TX 76508 254/724-8448 FAX 254/724-8772 >>> McCardell <.McCardellhsc (DOT) utah.edu> 3/3/2009 2:20 PM >>> Hi. I have a patient that has a eghp, but started a COBRA plan in January. There are only 25 employees at the company. He also started dialysis about three weeks ago and was told that if he becomes eligible for Medicare, he will lose his COBRA. Can someone please educate me a little about COBRA? thanks- McCardell University of Utah Office Fax See our web page at http://www.lahey.org for a full directory of Lahey sites, staff, services and career opportunities.THIS MESSAGE IS INTENDED FOR THE USE OF THE PERSON TO WHOM IT IS ADDRESSED. IT MAY CONTAIN INFORMATION THAT IS PRIVILEGED, CONFIDENTIAL AND EXEMPT FROM DISCLOSURE UNDER APPLICABLE LAW. If you are not the intended recipient, your use of this message for any purpose is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please delete the message and notify the sender so that we may correct our records. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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