COBRA or Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (1985) guarantees, according to existing federal law that the health insurance of an employee who has left his job for a period that extends to eighteen months following termination of the employee’s services continues to remain in effect. Cobra health insurance coverage is mandatory for most companies that offer their employees group health insurance coverage and under certain circumstances the Cobra health insurance coverage can even be extended beyond the eighteen months to as many as twenty-nine and in some cases even thirty-six months.

Not Applicable For Each And Every Terminated Employee

Cobra health insurance coverage is of course of great use to those employees that have become unemployed since they are still protected against health costs for at least eighteen months during which time it should be possible for them to find new work. Unfortunately, Cobra health insurance coverage is not applicable for each and every employee whose services have been terminated by their employers.

Furthermore, it is necessary that employers also are clear about whether Cobra health insurance coverage exclusions apply for their companies as well as for their employees. For any employee that has recently been fired the law of the land protects them and gives them an opportunity to find suitable health insurance at group rates even when the person is still unemployed. However, such coverage is seldom cheap and there is also need for the employee to pay the entire premium along with another two percent surcharge.

Individuals that are unemployed on account of termination of services or who have been laid off or who have otherwise been forced to see a change in their employment status and who are still qualified for Cobra health insurance coverage need not worry because COBRA will still be able to protect them for that eighteen month period until such time as they are able to get new health insurance coverage.

Of course, it must be stressed that Cobra health insurance coverage is temporary though at the same time it performs a very useful function as it ensures that individuals continue to have health insurance coverage for another eighteen months following their loss of job.

In regard to health insurance maternity coverage it is surprising to learn that as many as an estimated thirteen percent of all pregnant American women have no maternity pregnancy coverage. This puts them at risk of not being able to pay for the necessary pre-natal care and they also must bear the expenses related to their pregnancy on their own.

Tags: cobra health insurance coverage, health insurance maternity coverage

In most spheres of life people are able to gain greater advantage by having strength in numbers. This of course is also very applicable in the case of health insurance coverage because when you form a group of people and seek group insurance you will get much cheaper rates as compared with getting individual health insurance coverage. Also, for people that are not employed getting individual health insurance coverage is the only option open to them.

No Guarantees

The term individual of course refers to not being connected to self-employment or business and it also means that you are allowed to purchase individual health insurance coverage that covers your entire family. On the other hand, when you seek individual health insurance coverage there is no guarantee that the insurance provider will agree to cover you. The fact of the matter is that individual insurance plans are underwritten medically and this gives the insurance provider the option of rejecting your application or attaching exclusions to your individual health insurance coverage policy; especially, if you are already suffering from health ailments.

Individual health insurance coverage is generally higher than in the case of group health insurance coverage and often the premiums charged for individual coverage can even be as high as some of the costs of medical treatment and for the elderly and people in poor health chances of getting affordable premiums is very low.

When it concerns finding suitable individual health insurance coverage you need to pay close attention to pricing that is in fact a major factor that can really bewilder those who are unfamiliar with health insurance costs. It pays to shop around and get as many quotes as you can so that you know which the best quote is – which in certain instances can and will help you even perhaps shave off fifty percent off the competitor’s offers. You need to also be aware that different states have their own regulations and rules in regard to individual health insurance coverage; so, make sure that you know these regulations and rules in order to find the best deal.

The bottom line with choosing the best individual health insurance coverage is that you need to find a balance between coverage and cost, which however challenging a task it may be, must be addressed with utmost care. The Cobra health insurance coverage allows employers that offer their employers with group health insurance to also offer their employees a chance to extend this coverage for another eighteen months after the employee leaves their present employer. Of course, it also requires that the employee must, during his employment, also pay full (100%) premium along with another two percent by way of administrative fees.

Tags: individual health insurance coverage, cobra health insurance coverage