HS 351 Ch. 2

Legislation passed in 1985 as part of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act that requires group health plans to allow employees working for companies with 20 or more employees to extend their current health insurance coverages at group rates for up to 36 months following a qualifying event that results in the loss of coverage for a qualified beneficiary. For retirees, the normal COBRA period is 18 months.

As defiend under COBRA, any employee, or the spouse or dependent child of that employee, who on the day before a qualifying event was covered under the employee's group health plan.

As defined under COBRA, an event (such as termination of employment, reduction in hours worked, or death) that triggers the eligibility of a qualified insured to elect continuing coverage.

A medical expense plan that reduced benefits to the extent that they are provided under Medicare.

An approach by which an employer gives retired employees benefits to supplement Medicare. This coverage is not necessarily the same as individual Medicare supplement insurance.

A provision in a group insurance plan that gives an employee whose coverage ceases the right to convert to an individual policy without providing evidence of insurability. The conversion policy may or may not be identical to the previous group coverage.