Your trusted partner for COBRA & Direct Billing administration

COBRA, or the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, is a federal law that allows employees and their families to continue group health benefits under certain conditions. Employers, especially those with 20 or more employees, are primarily responsible for administering COBRA programs. This can be done internally or through a third-party administrator (TPA). The Department of Labor and the Internal Revenue Service oversee COBRA compliance at the federal level, but the day-to-day administration rests with the employers.

Some states also have state continuation (sometimes called mini-COBRA) that require employers, including employers with fewer than 20 employees, to maintain coverage for employees who experience a qualifying event that would cause them to lose coverage. Employers may be subject to COBRA, state continuation, or both. If you need help understanding the requirements that apply to your company, please contact your Associated Benefits Connection sales team member and/or your benefits advisor.

The Associated Benefits Connection® COBRA solution streamlines the COBRA administration process, ensuring regulatory compliance and easing the burden on employers.

Choosing Associated Bank for COBRA administration can save time and money, provide peace of mind and streamline operations by managing complex compliance requirements, handling qualifying event notifications, managing plan elections and processing premium payments.

This depends on several factors including the number of employees your company has, where the insurance plans are written and the funding arrangements of the insurance plans. If you need help understanding the requirements that apply to your company, please contact your Associated Benefits Connection sales team member and/or your benefits advisor.

This depends on several factors including the number of employees your company has, where the insurance plans are written and the funding arrangements of the insurance plans. If you need help understanding the requirements that apply to your company, please contact your Associated Benefits Connection sales team member and/or your benefits advisor.

This depends on several factors including the number of employees your company has, where the insurance plans are written and the funding arrangements of the insurance plans. If you need help understanding the requirements that apply to your company, please contact your Associated Benefits Connection sales team member and/or your benefits advisor.

Retiree and Direct Billing Administration services are used when employers need to bill individuals for coverage outside of the usual payroll deduction process. This can include retirees who are no longer employed by the employer or employees on leaves of absence who do not have paid earnings from which to deduct the premiums. In these cases, the individuals will need to be notified about their coverage option(s) and how to make payments. The elections and payments will need to be tracked and the members enrolled in the correct coverage options. Employers can choose to manage COBRA internally or outsource the administration to a TPA.

Yes! Before your go-live date, your team will need to provide a list of pending and enrolled participants. We will send a welcome letter introducing our team and providing participants with the information they need to elect coverage and make payments.

No. We can begin sending notices, accepting elections and processing payments on day one of your services with us.

If your annual enrollment period occurs before your go-live date with us, you or your current administrator must notify pending and enrolled participants of the changes and facilitate their elections. Once the enrollment period is complete, provide us with the updated elections so we can ensure accurate records.

This depends on your agreement with your current administrator. If the election or payment is returned by the prior administrator, the participant can redirect it to us for processing. If the prior administrator accepts the election or payment, they must communicate this to you. Notify us immediately so we can update our records and ensure future payments are sent to our team.

No! You can begin services with us at any time. In fact, many employers prefer transitioning administrators mid-year to avoid managing enrollment periods and partner transitions simultaneously.