Self-Help | COBRA/
IA Continuation
Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), a federal law in effect since 1986, permits employees and their dependents to continue in their employer’s group health plan after their job ends. If the employer has 20 or more employees, individuals may be eligible for COBRA continuation coverage when they retire, quit, are fired or work reduced hours. Continuation coverage also extends to surviving, divorced or separated spouses, dependent children and children who lose their dependent status under their parent’s plan rules. COBRA continuation coverage generally lasts 18 months, or 36 months for dependents in certain circumstances. For further information contact the US Department of Labor at 800-275-7922 or visit their website at www.dol.gov/ebsa.
Iowa Health Care Continuation allows an individual who is insured by a health plan through an employer with 19 or less employees to continue insurance under the employer’s plan for up to nine months. Eligibility rules similar to COBRA apply for employees as well as their covered spouses and dependents under Iowa’s law. For more information visit the Iowa legislature's web site at www.legis.state.ia.us to review Iowa Code Chapter 508B.3.
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