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COBRA View All/Print  

Effective January 1, 2009


MAMSI/Optimum Choice Health Plan COBRA Information for Post Doctoral Fellows Under a Federal law called the "Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act" (COBRA), you and your eligible covered dependents may continue your group health benefits under the Plan when your coverage is lost due to a "Qualifying Event." You and your spouse and/or dependent children must apply for coverage under COBRA following the Qualifying Event. Then, you must make monthly payments in order to keep your coverage.


Qualifying Event 		Who May Purchase Continuation Coverage Duration of Continuation Coverage
Your employment terminates You, your spouse and your dependent children who were covered under the Plan when coverage was lost 18 months
Your working hours are reduced, i.e., you become a part-time Employee You, your spouse and your dependent children who were covered under the Plan when your status changed 18 months
You experience a termination or reduction in hours while you are disabled (as determined by the Social Security Administration) You, your spouse and your dependent children 29 months (18 months plus an additional 11 months)
You divorce, or your marriage is annulled Your spouse and your dependent children who were covered under the Plan at the time of divorce, marriage or annulment 36 months
Your dependent child no longer qualifies as a dependent Your dependent child 36 months
You die Your spouse and your dependent children who were covered under the Plan at the time of your death 36 months


MAMSI /Optimum Choice Health Plan COBRA Information for Post-Doctoral Fellows

What You Need to Do
Post Doctoral Fellows enrolled in the MAMSI /Optimum Choice Plans must wait for your COBRA Qualifying Event Notification Letter to come to your home address from Chard Snyder before you can enroll in COBRA. If you are moving, Post docs need to notify the VP for Research and Graduate Studies office of your address change to ensure COBRA documents will be sent to the correct address.

Chard Snyder will send a COBRA Qualifying Event Notification, COBRA Enrollment Form, COBRA Family Member Enrollment Form, and COBRA Premium Computation Form to the MAMSI/Optimum Choice subscriber once your termination is entered by your department. You must complete these forms and return them to Chard Snyder . Enrollment in the COBRA program will not occur unless premium payment accompanies the enrollment forms. Post Doc Fellows have 60 days from the date of the letter of Notification or the date of the Qualifying Event, whichever is greater, to return the COBRA forms. You must pay all back premiums before any COBRA enrollment will take place.
  • 2009 COBRA premiums for Post Doctoral Fellows enrolled in Optimum Choice or MAMSI :
Post Doc Fellow Optimum Choice (HMO) monthly rates are:
Single                $297.56
Employee + 1     $621.58
Family                $846.77

Post Doc Fellow MAMSI (PPO) monthly rates are:
Single                 $299.04
Employee +1       $624.71
Family                $851.02
If you are a Post Doc Fellow currently enrolled in the HMO and are moving out of the Mid-Atlantic area where providers participate with the HMO (Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C.), you will need to move from the HMO to the PPO to receive COBRA coverage from a national network of providers. You should call Chard Snyder (1-800-982-7715) when you receive your Qualifying Event Notice to let them know you must switch to the PPO.