Q.- Can someone enroll in state or Marketplace coverage and keep COBRA for secondary coverage?
A.- A person who becomes covered under “other group health coverage” after the start of COBRA coverage loses the right to COBRA coverage. “Other group health coverage” is considered a health plan maintained by an employer. Marketplace coverage is not generally considered other group health coverage.
Your participant should review the other coverage to determine if it is group health coverage or not. If it is group health coverage and if it was obtained after COBRA started, it would terminate the right to COBRA coverage. If the coverage is not group health coverage and/or if it was in place before COBRA started, the right to continue COBRA would still be permitted. They should consult the plans to determine which coverage would be primary and which would be secondary.
