By Chimezirim Odimba

If you lose your job at any time, you ought to know that by law you are still permitted to maintain your group health coverage. Anyone that is handed a pink slip, resigned or had a reduction in hours, it does not matter.

You still have rights under COBRA. COBRA, a nickname for Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986, is a revision of the Employee Retirement Security Act. It gives one security once their group health plan has ended.

The reason that you no longer are employed isn't important, except if it was for gross misconduct, if not, you are presented with the opportunity to carry on your employer's group plan for up to 18 months at your own cost. In many cases, your spouse and dependent children are also qualified for COBRA coverage, sometimes for as long as three years.

If you continue your plan under COBRA, you can be charged 100 percent of the premiums plus a 2 percent administrative fee. The trouble with COBRA is that the greater part of people cannot afford to continue to pay for the premiums.

The majority that are qualified for COBRA think about purchasing individual health insurance or short-term health insurance to hold them over pending getting a new occupation that offers health benefits. A business must have employed at least 20 employees minimally for 6 months that are enrolled in a group plan to meet the criteria for COBRA. COBRA makes use of eligible events to establish eligibility.

Certain events such as quitting a business and becoming jobless or self-employed, being a widow, widower or youngster of an worker who past on, divorced spouse or child of an employee who has left the business, or are the child of an employee and you have arrived at the plan's cut-off age. The law grants an exemption from COBRA continuation rules to federal employees, certain church-related organizations and firms employing fewer than 20 people.

Employers must figure part-time workers into their employee total to determine if they can claim exemption, according to the IRS rules. Various states have endorsed "mini-COBRA" laws for companies with 2 to 19 employees.

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