AboutMichael Higgins Expertise All questions pertaining to health insurance, whether group, individual/family, student, child-only, COBRA, HIPAA, Portability, dental. No expert knowledge in areas such as life insurance, disability, workman's compensation, auto, etc.
Experience 27 years as owner of health insurance agency, primarily dealing with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona.
Education/Credentials College, Business Administration.
Expert: Michael Higgins Date: 6/29/2008 Subject: Cobra and pregnancy
Question I currently have health assurance thru my employer but would like to leave my job and become self employed. I recently found out i am 2 months pregnant and was wondering if i could still get coverage with cobra? I am a preschool teacher but a 40 hour week there just to keep insurance is gonna be tough when i can't lift the children or do the cleaning i am supposed to do... Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
Answer Hi Amanda:
This is a question for the human resources person at your school, whether COBRA is available to you if you decide to end your employment there. I would assume that it is available to you, but only they will know for sure. I would also ask how much the monthly premium will be. By law it cannot be more than 2% above what the actual premium is now. You may be shocked at the amount. Also ask about any maternity benefits the school may offer, such as paid time off, or no pay, but a guarantee that your job will be there when you return, and you can keep the insurance during your time off.
If you already now that you can get COBRA, and your question is whether COBRA will cover your maternity, then the answer is yes...if your insurance covers maternity now, which most group plans do. COBRA is the same coverage that you have now, same company, etc., it's just that you will be paying the premium for as long as the COBRA benefits last, usually 18 months.
