COBRA and Medicare Eligibility

It is important to understand how COBRA coverage works with Medicare so you can make informed decisions about your health care coverage.

How do COBRA and Medicare Work Together?

The key to understanding COBRA and Medicare is knowing if COBRA started before or after your Medicare enrollment. 

If you have COBRA before you are eligible for Medicare. 

If you already have COBRA coverage, it will likely end once you sign up for Medicare. You will not get a special enrollment period that gives you extra time to sign up for Medicare, so you should complete your Medicare enrollment right away to avoid any late enrollment penalties or gaps in coverage. 

If your spouse or dependents are on your COBRA plan, they can continue to get coverage even after you enroll in Medicare. 

If you become eligible for COBRA after you are enrolled in Medicare. 

If you already have Medicare and then become eligible for COBRA, you have the option to enroll in COBRA. 

In this case, you will have both Medicare and COBRA at the same time. Medicare will be your primary insurance and COBRA will be your secondary insurance. Medicare will be billed first for any health care services. Any costs not covered by Medicare will then be billed to COBRA.