COBRA and Cal-COBRA Financial Assistance
Keeping a Group Plan with COBRA
Lost your job? Keep your coverage at a reduced price
Receive a 65% reduction in your COBRA and Cal-COBRA costs.
COBRA and Cal-COBRA helps you keep your health coverage when your job ends.
See if you or your family may qualify (check those that apply)
Check the applicable boxes above to see if you may qualify.
You may qualify for Federal COBRA financial assistance. Contact your
former employer and/or health plan for details. If you need help,
call a benefits advisor at 1.866.444.3272 (Department of Labor).
You may qualify for Cal-COBRA financial assistance. Contact your former
employer and/or health plan for details. If you need help, call the Help Center
at 1.866.466.2219 (Department of Managed Health Care).
You may not qualify for Cal-COBRA or Federal COBRA. Contact your former employer
and/or health plan to inquire about the details. Look into other options for
health coverage: Medicare, Medi-Cal, Healthy Families, or the individual market.
- More details on the COBRA and Cal-COBRA financial assistance.
- Assistance was effective February 17, 2009 and lasts for up to fifteen (15) months.
- You only pay 35% of COBRA premiums. The government will reimburse the former health plan or employer for the remaining 65%.
- If your income was more than $125,000 ($250,000 for joint return), you may need to pay back all or part of the assistance. You can elect to waive the assistance and avoid repaying come tax season.
- If you turned down, or stopped paying due to costs, you are entitled to a “second chance” and are able to reapply under the new assistance plan.
- Ends when individual becomes eligible for other group coverage, after 15 months of the reduction, or when maximum period of COBRA ends, whichever occurs first.
- If your former employer was a large business (20 or more) then you may qualify for federal COBRA. Call 1.866.444.3272 for assistance (Department of Labor)
- If your former employer was a small business (19 or less) then you may qualify for Cal-COBRA. Call 1.888.466.2219 for assistance (Department of Managed Health Care).
More Resources on COBRA and Cal-COBRA
Other options for health coverage
COBRA is not for everyone, other low cost options may be available to you:
- Spouse or domestic partner’s employerIf your spouse’s employer offers health insurance it may be open to you and your family. You may be able to join it now that you’ve lost your coverage. A law gives you the opportunity to enroll in your spouse’s plan within 30-days after your insurance stops.
- MedicareMedicare is a Federal health insurance program. It covers most people 65 years old and over, some people younger than 65 with
disabilities, people diagnosed with ALS, and those with ESRD.
- Medi-CalA public health insurance program which provides needed health care services for low-income individuals including families with children, seniors, persons with disabilities, foster care, pregnant women, and low income people with specific diseases such as tuberculosis, breast cancer or HIV/AIDS.
- Healthy FamiliesHealthy Families is low cost insurance for children and teens. It provides health, dental and vision coverage to children who do not have insurance and do not qualify for free Medi-Cal.
- Insurance on the individual marketIndividual health insurance is insurance you buy on your own. Most insurance companies have on-line tools to help you find out how much individual health insurance will cost. If you have a chronic illness or other health condition, it may be hard to buy individual health insurance.
COBRA and Cal-COBRA Cost Reduction
The financial assistance helps reduce health care costs close to what
you where paying with your former employer. This is a great way to keep
coverage if you have a chronic condition, have trouble getting insurance
on the individual market, or you don’t qualify for other low cost options.
