Let’s say I enroll in health benefits through my employer on Monday, but I resign from my job on Wednesday. Would I be eligible for COBRA coverage, or would I have to hold those benefits for some period of time before being eligible?
I have searched online but have not come up with an answer to that specific question.
So far as I can see from the wording of the act, the only requirement is that you be enrolled in the plan, and that the plan continues to exist when you leave.
“enrolled” can require that you (or your employer) pay at least one premium, though. The details of that might depend on your employer.
typically, employer enrollment into the medical plan happens when the premium is paid. That usually happens at the beginning of the month. So unless the beginning of the month happens between Monday and Wednesday, you may not be in fact enrolled. Usually an employer covers the first month’s medical costs, but they don’t always. Remember, most if not all medium and large employers are self-insured so they can pay the bills if they want to.
In direct answer to the OP, I had an employee quit in the first month and he got COBRA, but I am not HR and don’t know the details.
So both of you mentioned a premium being paid. That means when the employer makes the month’s premium payment, not when the employee gets charged for it on their paycheck, correct? I would assume if the employee left, they would be responsible for the payment of the full month’s costs (employee pay is weekly, so in essence the employee would be responsible for the other 3/4 of that month’s premium costs).
This particular employer (a large retail corporation) has eligibility beginning at the start of the month, so perhaps that’s due to the whole beginning-of-month premium payment thing? (I know you don’t know for sure, I’m just typing out loud)