By extending the time frame to sign up for COBRA coverage, people have at least 120 days to decide whether they want to elect COBRA, and possibly longer depending on when they lost their jobs. (Photo: Shutterstock)
People who've been laid off or furloughed from their jobs now have significantly more time to decide whether to hang on to their employer-sponsored health insurance, according to a recent federal rule.
Under the federal law known as COBRA, people who lose their job-based coverage because of a layoff or a reduction in their hours generally have 60 days to decide whether to continue their health insurance. But under the new rule, that clock doesn't start ticking until the end of the COVID-19 "outbreak period," which started March 1 and continues for 60 days after the COVID-19 national emergency ends. That end date hasn't been determined yet.
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