Tony Novak profile picture
  "AskTony" column archive        


Categories

Most Popular

AskTony Archive

This Web site contains a compilation of more than a thousand consumer finance  columns written by Tony Novak from the 1980s through 2006, updated and reformatted for maximum usefulness today.  New material was added after 2010.

Content is the opinion of the author and does not represent the position of any other person or entity. Information is from sources believed to be reliable but cannot be guaranteed.

The author is paid for product endorsements and has an ownership or other financial interest in the businesses related to the topics covered.

New questions

Submit consumer finance questions at OnlineAdviser.org and health insurance questions at OnlineNavigator.org

Sponsored by:

FreedomBenefits.net Insurance Exchange - your source of valuable information on state and federal health reform benefits.

Core Health Insurance - America's favorite mini-med insurance  with affordable premiums, freedom to choose providers, optional PPO discounts and guaranteed eligibility regardless of medical conditions.

Please support the Web sites that make publication of AskTony services possible.

Churches exempt from COBRA

originally posted: 11/22/2006  reposted: 2/18/2011 This post has not been recently reviewed or revised by the author and may be out of date. If you notice an error or are in doubt, please send a new question by email or ask for an update. Email asktony@tonynovak.com.

Q: I contacted the Department of Labor and they told me that religious organizations are not required to offer COBRA benefits to former employees.

A: The federal law allows an exemption to churches and church-sponsored plans and it appears that some religious organizations extend that definition to include church-affiliated non-profit organizations. This is important because many state open enrollment health plans require an applicant to exhaust COBRA benefits first before being admitted to the state assigned risk plan under HIPAA law. Some people have reported that the state does not recognize the church-affiliate exemption as a valid reason for admission into the state HIPAA plan. The Web site www.COBRAplan.com was recently updated to include information on this exemption, how to get more information on COBRA issues. If you qualify, a short term medical plan is the best alternative to COBRA.

Summary

More resources:

www.COBRAplan.com