Q: We have an employee who retired last year. Both the retiree and his wife elected to continue health coverage under COBRA. The retiree is dropping COBRA coverage and enrolling in Medicare. Do we have to let the wife continue on our plan?
A: Yes. The retiree and the spouse each had independent rights to continue coverage under COBRA. The spouse can keep her COBRA coverage even if the retiree drops coverage to enroll in Medicare.
