Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

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Florida program

Keeping a small-employer health plan after coverage ends

Florida continuation can let you keep an insured small-employer health plan after a qualifying coverage loss.

What it is

Florida continuation can let you keep an insured small-employer health plan after a qualifying coverage loss.

Keeping the same plan after a job ends can keep the same doctors. Florida's rule is for insured plans at employers with fewer than 20 people; bigger employers fall under federal COBRA. You pay the whole premium yourself, so the full cost matters.

Eligibility rules
  • The law concerns Florida insured small-group policies for employers with fewer than 20 employees. Self-funded plans are excluded.
What you get
  • Up to 18 months on the same insured small-employer plan.
  • An ordinary premium ceiling of 115% of the full group premium.
What the help covers
  • A qualifying disability extension can add up to 11 months, for 29 total. The extension premium can reach 150% of the group rate.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask your employer’s benefits office and insurer for the continuation notice and monthly premium.
  2. Have ready the qualifying-event date and any carrier notices.
  3. Compare the cost and treatment arrangements with Medicaid and Marketplace options before choosing.

Your employer’s benefits office and insurance carrier · Official page ↗

What happens next
  • You, the beneficiary, give the carrier written notice within 63 days of the qualifying event. The carrier then has 14 days to send its election notice. Written election and the first premium are due within 30 days after you receive that notice. These are Florida deadlines, not federal COBRA’s.
Good to know

There are two separate deadlines: notice to the insurer, then election and the first premium.

Other details
  • The premium is based on the full group cost, including the share the employer previously paid. The social worker can help check treatment approvals and the next coverage option.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Could we keep this plan through Florida continuation, and how would its full premium compare with other coverage? Could you help us check both deadlines and the effect on treatment?”

Why I’m asking: I want to compare the value of keeping the current plan with the cost of paying for it ourselves.

More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

Ask the employer's benefits office before the last day and pay the premium on time.

Your social worker

The social worker checks that the oncology approvals carry over and lines up the next coverage.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
The insurer, through the employer
Ask HR
“Is our plan fully insured? Florida has a continuation law for employers under 20 people; can I have the continuation notice and the monthly premium before my last day?”

How to apply

First step: Before your last day of work, ask the employer's benefits office and the insurer in writing for the Florida continuation notice and the monthly premium.

  1. Ask the employer's benefits office in writing for the continuation notice and premium.
  2. Open the Medicaid, KidCare or Marketplace application the same week.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Ask the employer's benefits office and the insurer for the continuation notice before the last day of work

What to gather

  • Plan documents and the date coverage ends
  • The insurer's continuation notice
  • The first premium

How long: Up to 18 months ordinarily. Carrier notice: 63 days after the event. Election and first premium: 30 days after carrier notice.

What a yes looks like

The insurer confirms continuation and the premium. The card keeps working.

What a no looks like, and the next move

If the plan is self-funded or issued outside Florida, ask about federal COBRA (20 or more workers). Apply for Medicaid, KidCare or a Marketplace plan at once.

Watch out

  • Send written notice to the carrier within 63 days of the qualifying event. Elect in writing and pay the initial premium within 30 days of the carrier notice.
  • A qualifying disability extension adds up to 11 months, for 29 total; that extension can cost up to 150% of the premium.
  • Only insured small-group plans are covered. Compare Medicaid and Marketplace costs before committing.

If they say no, quote this: Florida Health Insurance Coverage Continuation Act: Fla. Stat. §627.6692.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 10, 2026.

What it is worth

Up to 18 months on the insured small-employer plan; ordinary premium no more than 115% of the group rate.

  • $18 — Ordinary continuation maximum, months
  • $115 — Ordinary premium ceiling, percent of group premium

Covers: Same plan, same network, for the statutory continuation period

What it costs the family: You pay up to 115% of the group rate; a qualifying disability extension can cost up to 150%.

The eligibility facts, as published

Insured small group policy in florida
yes
Employer size
fewer than 20 employees (below the federal COBRA threshold)
Self funded
excluded
Period premium election
18 months; 115% ordinary premium ceiling; carrier notice within 63 days of event, then election and first premium within 30 days of carrier notice.

Decisions this site cannot make: Insurer confirms continuation and premium

Expect friction on: Premium · Election deadline on the notice

The trap: Waiting for the notice. Ask the employer and the insurer in writing before the last day of work, and open the Medicaid or Marketplace application the same week.

Where I read this

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