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More Questions on Maryland Health Insurance Continuation Coverage

Frequently Asked Questions

More on Continuation of Benefits

My Spouse Recently Died. Can Our Children And I Keep The Health Insurance Coverage That My Spouse's Employer Provided?

Maryland law requires that coverage be offered to the surviving spouse and dependant children of a deceased employee if the deceased employee was a Maryland resident insured under a group contract for at least three months prior to the employee's death. To learn the cost of this coverage and how to obtain the coverage, contact the employer's human resources department.

My Cobra Coverage Is Ending. What Can I Do?

If you have been continuing coverage under a group plan, and your continuation coverage is ending, you have several options to consider:

Option 1:
If you or your spouse has group coverage available at work, you may be eligible for a special enrollment period in that group policy. This means that you can enroll even if you did not during open enrollment. You should enroll as soon as possible. You may be unable to enroll if you wait too long after your continuation coverage ends. Your new employer, or your spouse's employer, should be able to tell you if you qualify.

Option 2:
If you are in very good health, you may consider applying for an individual, medically underwritten health policy. "Medically underwritten" means that the insurance company or health maintenance organization (HMO) may deny your application if you do not meet their standards of good health. It is important to answer all of the questions on the application honestly and thoroughly. Your policy may be cancelled later if your application had errors. A medically underwritten policy will be less expensive than an individual policy that does not require evidence of good health. A list of companies selling individual policies is available on our web site, www.mdinsurance.state.md.us.

Option 3:
You may be able to convert your current group coverage to an individual policy with the same company. Conversion policies do not require you to prove you are in good health. The benefits may not be the same as with your group policy, and the premiums may be higher.

Option 4:
The federal law, known as HIPAA, requires that your current insurance company issue you a certificate of creditable coverage when your coverage ends. This creditable coverage will offset any waiting period for coverage of a pre-existing condition under a new policy. HIPAA also gives you the right to coverage at the end of continuation coverage. In Maryland, you can obtain this coverage through the Maryland Health Insurance Plan (MHIP). MHIP is a State-administered plan for people with certain medical conditions, HIPAA eligible individuals, and people who are denied a medically underwritten policy, as well as certain other categories. There are several delivery options, all of which require a premium payment.