COBRA Insurance for Exiting MUSC Health Employees

The qualifying events for Care Team Members are:

• Voluntary or involuntary termination of employment for reasons other than gross  misconduct.
• Reduction in the number of hours of employment.
• The qualifying events for spouses are:
• Voluntary or involuntary termination of the covered Care Team Member's employment for any reason other than gross misconduct
• Reduction in the hours worked by the covered Care Team Member
• Covered Care Team Member's becoming entitled to Medicare
• Divorce or legal separation of the covered Care Team Member
• Death of the covered Care Team Member

The qualifying events for dependent children are the same as for the spouse with one addition:

• Loss of dependent child status under the plan rules.

A COBRA packet will be mailed to a Care Team Member within 14 days of the date that the Benefits Office is notified of a qualifying event. The law requires that this packet be sent by mail to the last known address of the Care Team Member. This packet will include an official notice, enrollment form, and current premiums.

An eligible individual has 60 days from the date of the notice to elect COBRA coverage, which is effective retroactive to the last day of coverage. The individual then has an additional 45 days from the date of COBRA election to make the first premium payment, made payable to the Public Care Team Member Benefits Authority (PEBA).

More information about COBRA coverage can be found on the Department of Labor website.