We are not COBRA. For specific contract details about your current company policy, contact your health plan administrator.
In Reply to: COBRA ending and no notice from employer posted by Cheryl on March 05, 2004 at 22:54:21:
My understanding is that an employer must provide notification of termination of COBRA benefits within the period 180 days prior to termination if the availability of a "conversion policy" with your health insurance carrier is a possibility. "Conversion" refers to the changing of your policy from a group policy to an individual policy. Conversion policies, however, are extremely expensive and are usually not a viable option. You should have one month from the termination of your COBRA to elect conversion coverage. Although it was your employers responsibility to notify you of this option, you can probably contact your insurance carrier directly and ask them if they offer it and what the rates would be. If elected, the coverage is retroactive so that you would not have a lapse in coverage.
What I found to be a better option was a HIPAA qualified plan that is something that is available to all who have exhausted COBRA benefits provided they apply within the 2 month period following termination of COBRA. All major health insurance carries offer their 2 most popular health plans and you cannot be refused coverage despite preexisting conditions. The premium will likely be more than a healthy individual would pay for an individual policy but mine ended up being less than I had been paying for COBRA.
If you happen to be healthy and were not an "over-utilizer" on your previous policy, you should have no trouble finding an insurance company willing to cover you with an individual policy. This, of course, would be your best option.
Your former employer may face a fine of $110/day for not having notified you of your COBRA termination if, indeed, a conversion policy was available. I have been trying to figure out how easy this is to collect as my situation was exactly the same as yours. Good luck.