State Mini-COBRA Laws
COBRA is a federal law that only covers health plans of employers with 20 or more employees. Thus, many small employers are exempt from this federal continuing coverage law.
Many states, however, have enacted their own continuing coverage laws that mirror COBRA and apply to smaller businesses- often between two and 19 employees in size. These State “mini-COBRA” laws vary significantly with regard to such matters as employee eligibility, maximum length of coverage, and grounds for early termination.
State continuing coverage laws also tend to change more frequently than federal COBRA. Thus, employers that are subject to a state mini-COBRA law are well-advised to frequently check with their insurance department on current health plan requirements.