# COBRA question **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 28, 2017, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cobra-question/781010 "2017-02-28T04:07:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2017, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cobra-question/781010/1 "2017-02-28T04:07:52Z")
I am moving. My insurance, provided through my employer, is an “in-shop” kind, meaning that virtually all services are provided by people directly employed by the insurer, rather than, say, Blue Cross, where doctors work for themselves and bill the insurer. The people at COBRA say that it is my right as an employee to pay for and have my insurer provide coverage after I move. My employer says that because my insurer does not have a presence in the place where I am going, they do not have to provide coverage through COBRA. I am confused. Can anyone speak to this situation? Thanking you. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2017, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cobra-question/781010/2 "2017-02-28T04:12:38Z")
As best as I can tell, they have to provide the coverage, but it won’t help you if there are no doctors in network in your new area. From [here…](http://www.insure.com/health-insurance-faq/cobra-health-insurance-out-of-state.html) > [@](#): > > Yes, you may continue to buy health insurance under COBRA, but if health plan requires you to use a certain network of doctors, you’ll be stuck with the old network. Remember, when you “buy COBRA” you are continuing to buy the same health plan that your former employer offers. > > Coverage under the plan would continue if you moved out of state, but you may be better off buying individual health insurance if you can’t take advantage of the plan’s network of providers. If you decide to buy individual coverage, shop around for affordable health insurance. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2017, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cobra-question/781010/3 "2017-02-28T06:17:53Z")
As Pork Rind notes, COBRA means that you can elect to keep your current coverage going after you leave the company (and pay the full premium cost yourself after you leave the company), but it also means that you’d be keeping the exact same coverage you had with the company. It doesn’t mean that they have to offer you a different policy that will be more useful to you in your new location. Note that, under the Affordable Care Act, moving is what’s called a Qualifying Life Event, and it will give you a window in which you can buy an individual policy during what they call a Special Enrollment Period (SEP). I believe that you have 60 days after the date of your move to enroll in an ACA policy; after that point, you won’t be able to apply for an ACA policy until the next Open Enrollment Period (OEP), which will likely start in November, and your new policy won’t be effective until 1/1/18. More info on the [Heathcare.gov](http://Heathcare.gov) site can be found [here](https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/special-enrollment-period/). When I left my old job a few years ago, I maintained my old insurance via COBRA for most of a year, but I discovered that I could get a similar level of coverage via the ACA at a similar cost, and so, I switched to an ACA policy during the OEP. Note: all of the above is based on how the ACA stands today; any and all of the above could well change depending on what Congress and President Trump decide to do to it. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2017, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cobra-question/781010/4 "2017-02-28T17:54:37Z")
Also note that continuing insurance under COBRA requires you to pay the entire cost of insurance that was formerly subsidized by your employer. Do you have the information about what you would pay under COBRA? It might not even be your best deal. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2017, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cobra-question/781010/5 "2017-02-28T20:00:51Z")
Ok, this makes sense. Thanks for the clarification, folks.