COBRA Compliance & Common Tripwires: Health Coverage Continuation Administration

Business and Legal Resources [BLR]

Recorded March 8, 2017

As most employers covered by COBRA (and/or its state-law counterparts) know, the law allows terminated employees and their dependents to continue their current group health coverage, paying out of their own pocket, for a certain period of time.

While the law has been around for a while, its complexities make it a source of confusion and concern for employers:

• Does every employer need to offer federal COBRA continuation coverage to former employees? If not, when do exceptions apply?
• How long must an employee be enrolled in your group health plan before a “qualifying event” occurs that allows COBRA to kick in?
• How is the term “beneficiary” defined?
• What’s considered a “qualifying event”? And what happens when there’s more than one?
• What steps is HR responsible for when it comes to handling COBRA administration? And how far does that responsibility extend?
• What constitutes “gross misconduct” that terminates an employee’s right to COBRA?
• How does COBRA intersect with Medicare and retiree coverage?

Use this on-demand webinar when Trucker Huss attorneys Callan G. Carter and Jahiz Noel Agard offer expert guidance on COBRA fundamentals and many common misconceptions about your compliance requirements under the federal health coverage continuation law.

You’ll learn:

• Who’s entitled to COBRA benefits and when
• Which plans are subject to the COBRA law, including employee assistance programs (EAPs), wellness programs and health care flexible spending accounts
• Issues to consider regarding COBRA and retiree medical plans
• What constitutes a qualifying event
• Whether the employer is responsible to administer COBRA, or whether another entity may take it on
• What termination for “gross misconduct” constitutes, legally
• How to provide the general notice
• When and how the employer is responsible to notify the plan administrator of a termination or qualifying event
• How to provide the election notice
• What constitutes “continuation coverage”, and how long it runs for
• And much more!

More Information, How to Register