COBRA Continuation of Coverage

You and your dependents can temporarily continue your medical, dental, and life insurance coverage with the University through federal and state laws under certain circumstances, including the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA). You or your dependents would pay the full cost of coverage at the University's group rates plus an administrative fee.

Please contact Benefits Resource (BRI) at 855-479-4004 or email participantservices@benefitresource.com with questions.

Someone may lose their health coverage because of a “qualifying event.” Who is eligible for COBRA coverage and for how long they can have COBRA coverage depends on what the event is.

A University employee qualifies for COBRA if either their work hours are reduced or they are terminated for any reason other than gross misconduct.

A spouse or dependent child of a University employee qualifies for COBRA if they lose coverage due to any of the following:

• Termination of the covered employee's employment for any reason other than gross misconduct
• Reduction in the hours worked by the covered employee
• Covered employee becomes entitled to Medicare
• Divorce from the covered employee
• Death of the covered employee
• Adult child reaches age 26

Note: If you lose University benefits coverage due to one of the events above, your coverage will end on the last day of the month in which you actively worked or were eligible for benefits. Beyond the last day of the month, your options include COBRA coverage, purchasing coverage from a marketplace like MNSure, or gaining coverage through a new employer.

Under COBRA, you would continue coverage with the same plan option you had on the date that your coverage ended. Continuation coverage is identical to the coverage provided under the plan to active employees and their eligible dependents.

You and your dependents who choose continuation coverage may change coverage options during any Open Enrollment that occurs while you are covered by continuation coverage.

If you are moving out of the plan’s service area, please contact BRI for information about plan options.

COBRA Medical and Dental Rates

• Applicant-only cost applies if only one person, either you or a dependent, wishes to continue coverage.
• When two or more individuals wish to continue coverage, the cost that applies depends on the relationship of the individuals continuing coverage. For example:
  • Employee and spouse: Applicant and Spouse with or without Children rates apply.
  • Spouse and children: Applicant and Children rates apply.
  • Two or more children: Applicant and Children rates apply. The oldest child is considered the applicant.
• Your cost is based on the plan and the geographic location you had in effect when you had a qualifying event.
• If you, your spouse, or dependent child receive an extension due to a disability, the cost for that coverage is 150 percent of the cost shown below.

A non-refundable administrative fee of 2% is included in the monthly rates below.

When you leave the University, if you were a benefits-eligible employee, you are eligible to continue EAP services through Lyra. Monthly rates will be stated in your continuation notice.

You have the option under state law to continue group life insurance benefits for yourself and your dependents including:

• Basic employee life
• Additional employee life
• Spouse life
• Child life

In order to continue any dependent coverage, you must continue your own coverage. For both basic life and additional life insurance, you may choose to continue all or a portion of your current benefit, including matching AD&D. However, standalone voluntary AD&D is not eligible for continued coverage. 

The maximum period to continue your coverage is 18 months or until covered by other group coverage, whichever occurs first. At that time, coverage may be converted to an individual policy or a personal term life portability policy without evidence of good health if you apply within 31 days. Portability means you can take your insurance with you. If you choose the portability policy, then spouse and child coverage is also portable.

A non-refundable administrative fee of 2% is included in the rates below.

Manage Your Beneficiary Designation

If you are continuing your Basic or Supplemental Life Insurance, you can update your Life Insurance beneficiary by contacting BRI.

Your FSA participation stops after your last day of employment. This means you will no longer be able to incur expenses and receive reimbursement for those expenses after your last day of employment.

If you still have money in your FSA, and you don’t have enough eligible expenses before termination to use up the balance, you can avoid losing the money if you elect to continue participation through COBRA. You can continue your FSA under COBRA if you lose eligibility for coverage due to:

• Termination of employment
• Layoff
• Changes in employment status

Contributions made through COBRA are done so on an after-tax basis. This allows you to continue to submit claims for expenses as long as you make contributions to the plan.