Can I just add one member of my family to COBRA coverage?

Question

I was just laid off my job and my wife is pregnant. Cobra for the entire family is $1,300 and I cannot afford it. I want to just add my wife. I got one answer from someone on a Cobra hotline saying a can, but my old employer is saying I have to keep the plan exactly the same. Can I add just my wife?

Answer 1

Yes, you can just add your wife.  Your employer needs to be very careful about giving advice on COBRA, there are huge fines for not notifying people they are eligible for COBRA.  By law your employer should notify you and your spouse separately of your rights to pick up cobra preferably by certified mail.  

Go back to your employer and tell them this, tell them they need to contact their agent or insurance company because legally they don't want to go where they are heading.

Answer 2

When you lost your coverage as a full time employee, each member of your family became COBRA Beneficiaries. You can must certainly continue medical coverage on just your wife if you chose do to so. When my husband left his job to become self-employed, he didn't have health problems but I did. He didn't continue his health insurance through his former employer but I did. I was entitled to the coverage for 18 months.  Be sure to make every COBRA payment  on time because if a payment is a day late they will not accept it and will terminate your coverage.Good luck on find a new job and best wishes on the new addition to your family. Everything will work out just fine.

Answer 3

The coverage (benefits) must be the same but as long as your wife was on the plan prior to the qualifying event (your being laid off), she is allowed to elect or refuse the COBRA independant of you. See the attached link:

http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/pdf/cobraemploye...

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