Illinois COBRA Health Insurance Program
When a person is employed in Illinois, they are almost guaranteed to meet the eligibility requirements for group insurance. However, this only applies to those who are working and have coverage through their employers. If a person is laid off or stops working for any reason, there are certain limitations to the health insurance you are eligible for and whether or not you are included in the COBRA health insurance laws.
To become eligible for COBRA, a person has to meet three separate eligibility factors. For example, the employer you were working for must have employed at least 20 or more people. The second factor is you have to have been covered using the group plan that was offered to all employees, meaning that you could not just be eligible for the insurance, but you have to have been actively covered by your own plan or a spouse’s plan. The third criterion is the reason you lost your group plan eligibility must meet the “qualifying event” qualifications.
These qualifications include employment termination for any reason other than “gross misconduct,” any separation form the covered employee such as divorce, separation, or the spouse is not covered under a plan, which the individual is not eligible, and other spousal reasons. Sometimes, in special cases a reduction of hours worked can also qualify an employee for COBRA.
For example, if an employee is working 40 hours a week as a full time worker then is reduced to less than full time hours. In this case, he may be eligible based on the hours he works and because of the part time status making him ineligible for the group policy. Any way it is looked at, any health insurance is difficult to navigate but it is there to take advantage of. No Illinois health insurance company wants to see anyone go uninsured.
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