Change in Family Status

[Guest perplexedbypensions]

Employee has been fired mid July. Company is paying insurance premium through the end of August, and then the employee has the option of continuing coverage through a COBRA election.

Employees' spouse has insurance coverage, and since they have now incurred a Change in Family Status, the spouse was going to see if it would be less expensive to add spouse to her insurance policy instead of using COBRA to keep his policy.

Now the end of August is here, all questions have not been answered, and the employee would like to use COBRA until the end of September and then go on spouse's policy.

Is there a time limit to the Change in Family Status? If COBRA is chosen to begin 9/1, will that stop him from enrolling in spouses policy as of 10/1, so that they would have to then wait to add him until the next open enrollment period in December?

Thank you!

[QDROphile]

To be able to change coverage becuase of a change in status, the change in coverage must relate to the change in status. Most plans require the election to change coverage to be made within 30 days of the change in status event, some go out as far as 60 days, as a matter of determining that the election relates to the event.

[GMK]

Is there a time limit to the Change in Family Status? If COBRA is chosen to begin 9/1, will that stop him from enrolling in spouses policy as of 10/1, so that they would have to then wait to add him until the next open enrollment period in December?

The only way to know for sure is to ask the spouse's plan these questions.