In 1986, Congress passed the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act to give employees and their families a temporary extension of healthcare benefits once their employment ended.
Now, 25 years later, many HR professionals are still scratching their heads as they try to decipher COBRA regs and deadlines -- from deciding which employees are qualified beneficiaries and what workplace events trigger COBRA coverage to giving workers notice of their COBRA rights and reviewing healthcare plans to confirm that they're COBRA compliant. This summer, things will get even more complicated when the Supreme Court makes a decision on healthcare reform. Employers and healthcare plan sponsors will need to determine how to transition from their current practices for continuing coverage during leaves of absence and at termination of employment to new practices on the basis of law changes.
If you make a mistake, it can bring on expensive lawsuits, fines, and penalties -- even if you have the best intentions.
Don't risk violations -- get the tools you need to review your COBRA policies and practices from top to bottom so that you're completely up to date and in compliance with this important federal law.
