Whenever an employee loses his or her job or has to reduce their hours through no fault of their own, the employee is entitled to some rights to health care coverage and other benefits, including some retirement benefits. This Protect You Healthcare Coverage Poster communicates those rights to employees and should be posted in an area of the workplace that is clearly visible to all employees.

The poster includes information about COBRA coverage, HIPAA coverage (the right to healthcare coverage regardless of previous health conditions), and ERISA coverage (the protection of retirement benefits for employees).

Information Included in the Poster

COBRA Coverage

According to the 1986 Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), covered employees and former employees should be able to take advantage of group health care coverage if they have involuntarily lost their employment or had a reduction in the number of hours that they work. COBRA allows qualifying individuals to continue to receive group health care coverage at a group rate for a limited period of time.

Traditionally, employees were required to complete the COBRA Continuation Coverage Election form within 60 days of a qualifying incident in order to qualify for COBRA coverage. However, the 2009 Stimulus Plan extended COBRA rights for qualifying employees.* (Continuing reading to learn more about these changes.)

HIPAA Coverage

According to HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), whenever an employee switches jobs, the employee cannot be denied the opportunity to enroll in health benefits plans for the new employer because of a pre-existing medical condition

ERISA Retirement Benefits

ERISA is the Employment Retirement Income Security Act, which helps to ensure that employees that are eligible to receive retirement benefits are actually able to receive those benefits.