how long does insurance last after being laid off

How Long Does Insurance Last After Being Laid Off

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The economy is in a tumultuous place as many people are facing the possibility of getting laid off or furloughed in the near future. But these two terms are not the same, and it’s crucial to understand how furloughs and layoffs can impact you and your small business insurance.Â

There are a variety of health insurance options for small businesses, but regardless of the insurance you have, if you get laid off or furloughed during your time of employment, you’re probably wondering how that will affect your small business employee benefits. Keep reading to learn more about the layoff vs furlough benefits below so you can understand how they affect insurance.

COBRA coverage lets you pay to stay on your job-based health insurance for a limited time after your job ends (usually 18 months). You usually pay the full premium yourself, plus a small administrative fee. Contact your employer to learn about your COBRA options.

Understanding COBRA

After your employer takes you off the company health plan, they are usually still required to allow you to stay on the plan for up to 18 months thanks to COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act).

Specifically, the requirement for extending group coverage to a former employee through COBRA is a qualifying event. Qualifying events are any of the following:

  • The employee voluntarily initiates termination of employment (quits)
  • The employee is involuntarily terminated (fired or laid off)
  • The employee’s hours are cut so that the employee no longer works enough hours to be eligible for health benefits under the employer’s group health insurance policy. For example, if the cutoff is 40 hours per week and the employee starts working 30 hours per week instead of 50, that would be a qualifying event.

    • As you can see, an employer is required to extend COBRA benefits for at least 18 months in almost all cases when job loss is present. The only time when employers are not required to extend healthcare coverage through COBRA is when employees are fired because of gross misconduct. If your employer potentially disallows health insurance coverage continuation via COBRA on account of gross misconduct, the employer should have guidelines as to what constitutes gross misconduct outlined in the employee handbook.

    What Happens to Your Health Insurance After You Leave Your Job?

    There are a few different ways you can end up unemployed. How you leave your job is important because it may affect your future options for health insurance coverage:

  • Quitting: voluntarily terminating your employment, with or without giving your employer notice
  • Getting fired: getting involuntarily terminated from your job on an individual basis
  • Getting laid off: getting involuntarily terminated from your job along with a group of other employees

    • In all three cases, your former employer has no time-based requirement for keeping you on the group health insurance plan. In some cases, employees are removed from the group health insurance plan the same day their employment ends. Other times, companies may opt to allow employees to stay on the company group health insurance plan for weeks or months after termination. Since the decision is up to the employer and varies from company to company, it’s ideal to understand the specifics before you take a job to ensure you stay on a group health insurance plan for as long as you need to.

    COBRA Plan Health Insurance Technicalities

    Your employer should inform the health insurance company about your termination within 30 days of your last day of employment. From there, you should receive instructions from the health insurance company on how to continue your coverage via COBRA after your standard employer coverage ends. After receiving these instructions, you will have 60 days to sign up for COBRA benefits. After 60 days, you will lose the option to receive continuation of coverage through COBRA.

    How long do you have health insurance after termination?

    FAQ

    What happens to your benefits when you get fired?

    Employees terminated by an employer have certain rights. An employee has the right to receive a final paycheck and the option of continuing health insurance coverage, and may even be eligible for severance pay and unemployment compensation benefits.

    How long does COBRA last after termination?

    When the qualifying event is the covered employee’s termination of employment or reduction in hours of employment, qualified beneficiaries are entitled to 18 months of continuation coverage.

    How long do benefits last after quitting Canada?

    Quitting your job before the end of your term or before being laid off. When you voluntarily quit your job without just cause within 3 weeks of the end of your term or being laid off, you will not be paid regular benefits from the first day after the last day worked up to the date your employment was to end.

    How long does Aetna insurance last after leaving a job?

    It gives you time to find another health plan or covers you until your next employer plan kicks in, like when you start a new job. Federal coverage lasts 18 months but may extend up to 36 months if you have a second “qualifying event.” For instance, a divorce or death of a spouse.

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