COBRA Deadlines Eased During Coronavirus Outbreak

COBRA Insurance Deadlines Extended During COVID-19 Outbreak

Workers who need to stay on ex-employer' s health plan get extra time to enroll pay premiums

Getty Images With millions of workers having because of the coronavirus outbreak, federal officials are giving the unemployed more time to decide whether to enroll in COBRA and more flexibility in paying the program's insurance premiums. COBRA is the federal program that allows employees and their families who have to continue on their former employer's plan by paying both their and their former employer's portion of the health insurance premium. Usually, former employees have 60 days to decide whether to enroll in COBRA and then another 45 days to pay their first premium. Under joint guidance from the U.S. Labor Department (DOL) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), unemployed Americans now have up to 60 days after the end of the official coronavirus national emergency designation to decide whether to enroll. Under the current White House order, the national emergency for COVID-19 ends June 29, so individuals would have until Aug. 28 to enroll in COBRA. If the administration extends the national emergency, however, that would also increase the time that former workers would have to opt for continued insurance coverage. In the meantime, laid-off employees can continue to be covered under their former employer's plan. For laid-off workers who choose COBRA, coverage is retroactive to the date they lost their .

Join today and save 25% off the standard annual rate. Get instant access to discounts, programs, services, and the information you need to benefit every area of your life. The DOL and IRS joint announcement also extends the time that those enrolled in COBRA have before they must pay their premiums, giving them until 30 days after the national emergency ends to pay for March, April, May and June. What's more, the new federal guidance provides flexibility so that current employees who still have their health insurance have more time to sign up during the outbreak. Usually, workers have 30 days after a dependent, say, loses a job or gives birth to add that dependent to their employer-based health plan. During the outbreak, employees will have 60 days after the end of the national emergency to add any dependent to their plan.

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