All companies classified as a small business for the purpose of receiving health coverage must offer their employees an additional 9 months of continuation coverage. To be eligible to receive a continuation of benefits under the Oregon state mini-COBRA law, the employee must have been insured under the employer-sponsored group health plan for a minimum period of three months prior to the employee's date of termination. Upon their election of continuation of coverage, the employee, at their sole expense, may continue to receive benefits under the group health plan.
You have 31 days from the day you receive the notice to return the forms to the insurance company. You can decide which family members to keep insured. For persons exhausting their COBRA coverage, Oregon law requires the individual insurance carriers the responsibility of offering guaranteed issue coverage to all residents who have had 6 months of prior coverage.
Who enforces by the Oregon Mini COBRA Law
State continuation-eligible employees who believe they were improperly denied a subsidy should ask the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for review. Visit: continuationcoverage.net or call 1-866-400-6689. The application you must use to appeal subsidy denials is posted online. You may also e-mail questions to ContinuationCoverage@maximus.com. CMS has contracted with Maximus Federal Services, Inc., to review appeals.
Compare Oregon COBRA Health Alternatives in the green box near the top.
Questions for the Oregon Insurance Division should be directed to Consumer advocates which can be reached at 1-503-947-7984 or toll-free at 1-888-877-4894. You may also e-mail cp.ins@state.or.us
Federal COBRA law
Under COBRA, a terminated employee is entitled to continue his or her group health insurance for 18-36 months. The employee is entitled to the same coverage as current employees, since it is a seamless continuation of the current plan.
Cobra Insurance Notice
Most problems and confusion regarding COBRA Insurance involve misinformed employers who aren't aware they're supposed to offer employees COBRA. Read our Sample COBRA Notice. Also some employees thinking they should get their COBRA upon termination. Read about COBRA notification time requirements.
COBRA Insurance Cost
The 65% COBRA subsidy was for employees losing their health insurance from
Sept. 1, 2008 to after May 31st, 2010. That was part of the stimulus bill. Now the employee will be required to pay the full cost of health insurance, including any portion formerly paid by the employer. In addition, the employer can charge a 2% COBRA administration fee, bringing the total payment to 102% of the premium.
Who Qualifies for COBRA?
Employers with over 20 full time employers usually have to offer COBRA to an employee within 45-60 days of the qualifying event. Qualifying events include the employee losing their health insurance for a variety of reasons including a reduction in hours or termination. Dependents who lose insurance for other reasons, such as divorce, also qualify for COBRA. Exceptions include employees terminated for willful gross misconduct, employers with less than 20 total employees, non profits or churches organizations.
No Mini Cobra Coverage
47 of the 50 U.S. states have COBRA laws that cover smaller employers, generally called state mini-cobra laws. States that have not passed a mini-cobra law include Alabama, Alaska, and Delaware.
Among States that have mini-cobra laws, the lengths of coverage vary from 30 days to 36 months. Please refer to our Mini State COBRA Law Directory.
Written by Craig J. Casey
Craig Casey is an Writer, Coach, Blogger, Husband, and Former Health Insurance Agent helping people on the web since 1999 with their health insurance problems.
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About COBRA
Employers who offer group health care plans to a minimum of 20 employees must comply with ERISA (the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974). The Federal version or the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 (COBRA), requires that most group health plans provide 18-36 months of continuing health insurance.
