COBRA Guides
The calculator answers one question: what will this cost. These guides answer the ones that come immediately after it, which are usually the ones with more money attached.
Every rule quoted in these guides is set by federal law or regulation, and each page ends with the primary sources it relies on so you can check any of it against the Department of Labor, CMS, or HealthCare.gov rather than taking our word for it. Where a rule varies by state, or changes from year to year, we point you at the office that maintains the current answer instead of printing a number that will quietly go stale.
None of these pages asks for your phone number, and none of them hands you to a broker. If a page cannot help you, it says so and tells you who can.
Start with your situation
| If this is you | Read |
|---|---|
| You have an election notice in front of you and a premium that looks impossible | COBRA vs the MarketplaceCompare it properly before you accept or decline it |
| You are not sure how long you have to decide, or nothing has arrived in the post | Every COBRA deadlineWork out which clocks are running and who is late |
| You have been told you do not qualify, or you want to know how many months you get | Who qualifies, and for how longCheck the three eligibility tests yourself |
| You or your spouse are 64 or older | COBRA and MedicareRead this before electing anything. The mistake here is permanent |
| Your employer has fewer than 20 employees | Mini-COBRA for small employersFederal COBRA does not apply, but your state law probably does |
All guides
- COBRA vs the MarketplaceWhy the cheaper premium is often the more expensive plan, and the five numbers that settle it.
- Every COBRA deadlineThe 60-day election window, the 45-day first payment, and why retroactive coverage changes your options.
- Who qualifies, and for how longThe 20-employee test, 18 versus 36 months, and the disability extension most people never claim.
- COBRA and MedicareThe eight-month clock that starts when your job ends, not when COBRA ends, and the penalty that never goes away.
- Mini-COBRA for small employersTold your employer is too small for COBRA? Most states have their own continuation law. How to check yours.
Start with the number
Most of these decisions are easier once you know what continuing your plan would actually cost. The calculator works from your plan's total cost, or from the deduction that used to come out of your paycheck if that is all you have.
Open the COBRA calculator