COBRA Headaches during the Pandemic
COVID-19 has brought numerous headaches to the administrative processes that run most employers' and employees' daily lives. One such headache is employer compliance with the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). As employers know, COBRA generally requires employers with 20 or more employees to offer employees and their families a temporary extension of health coverage (known as a continuation of coverage) for a limited period. You can read more about COBRA compliance, continuation coverage assistance, frequently asked questions, and more by clicking here . Under the statute, employees may elect COBRA continuation coverage under their employer's group health plan up to 60 days after a qualifying event. As a result of the pandemic, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) jointly published the Extension of Certain Timeframes for Employee Benefit Plans , which contains temporary rule changes to COBRA. The new rules extend traditi...