Q: I have an employee who quit and he is 70 years old and will be opting for Medicare. His spouse is taking COBRA coverage through our group health plan, what is her maximum COBRA period? Is it 18 months, because the qualifying event was termination of covered employee, or is it 36 months? He is under the impression that there is a second qualifying event.
A: When an employee retires and becomes entitled to Medicare, their spouse has the right to keep COBRA continuation coverage for 36 months. If the employee and spouse are already have COBRA benefits when the employee starts receiving Medicare benefits, the spouse is entitled for an additional 18 months for a maximum of 36 months of coverage. For more information on Medicare you can go to www.medicare.gov or 1-800-medicare.
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