Georgia program
Keep an insured work plan for three more months
Georgia continuation can extend a qualifying work health plan after coverage ends, at the full group premium.
What it is
Georgia continuation can extend a qualifying work health plan after coverage ends, at the full group premium.
State continuation can bridge a coverage loss when federal COBRA is unavailable. The plan must be an insured group contract issued in Georgia. You pay the part your employer previously paid as well as your own share.
Eligibility rules
- The group contract must be insured and issued in Georgia. Employer size alone does not limit this state route.
- At least six months of prior continuous coverage is required. Self-funded plans are excluded.
- Qualifying replacement-policy coverage can count toward the six-month history. The benefit does not create a separate COBRA-style 36-month period for a dependent’s death, divorce or aging-out event.
What you get
- The same plan and network for the remaining partial month plus three policy months.
What the help includes
- The existing network stays in place during an approved continuation period. Federal COBRA is a separate possible route with employer, plan and coverage-loss tests. The administrator identifies which rule applies.
If you decide to apply
- Ask your employer’s benefits office for the Georgia continuation notice and full monthly price.
- Have ready: plan documents, the coverage-end date and proof of six months’ continuous prior coverage.
- Ask the hospital counselor to compare this bridge with Medicaid, Georgia Access and federal COBRA where available.
Your employer’s benefits office and the group insurer
After you ask
- A written confirmation should give coverage dates and the premium amount. The continuation notice supplies the election and payment instructions.
- It is not open after a dismissal for misconduct, and it ends if a premium is missed or you get similar coverage elsewhere. Georgia sets no fixed number of days to choose it, so ask HR for the deadline in writing.
Good to know
Premiums are due monthly in advance. The full group price can be much higher than your payroll deduction.
Other details
- An ordinary coverage loss usually opens a 60-day Georgia Access enrollment period before or after the loss. A short continuation period does not replace that deadline.
“Would Georgia continuation let our child stay with the same team, and what is the full price? What are the benefits and drawbacks compared with other coverage, and would you help us request it if you recommend it?”
Why I’m asking: I want a short coverage bridge that keeps treatment accessible while we compare longer-term options.
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 your employer's benefits office before the last day, pay the premium in advance each month.
Your social worker
The social worker checks 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? Can I have the Georgia continuation notice and monthly premium before my last day?”
How to apply
First step: Before your last day of work, ask your employer's benefits office for the Georgia continuation notice and monthly premium in writing.
- Ask HR in writing for the continuation notice and premium.
- Open the Medicaid or marketplace application the same week.
Where it starts: Ask HR for the continuation notice before the last day of work
What to gather
- Plan documents and the date coverage ends
- Proof of 6 months' prior coverage
- The first month's premium
How long: Coverage continues for the fractional month plus 3 policy months.
What a yes looks like
your employer's benefits office or 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 Georgia, ask about federal COBRA. It starts at 20 workers. Apply for Medicaid or marketplace coverage at once.
Watch out
- Insured group policies issued in Georgia only. A self-funded plan is outside it (federal COBRA at 20 or more is the option there).
- Three months goes fast: file the Medicaid, Katie Beckett or marketplace application the same week the job ends (60-day marketplace application period).
- You pay the employer's share too. The premium is due monthly in advance.
The numbers and the rules
The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 8, 2026.
What it is worth
The same plan for the remaining month plus 3 policy months. You pay the full group-rate premium monthly in advance.
- $3 (plus the remaining fractional month) — Continuation length
- $6 — Prior continuous coverage required
Covers: Same plan, same network
What it costs the family: The full premium, including the former employer's share, monthly in advance.
The eligibility facts, as published
- Insured group contract issued in georgia
- yes
- Employer size
- any
- Prior coverage months min
- 6
- Self funded
- excluded
Decisions this site cannot make: Insurer confirms continuation and premium
Expect friction on: Premium in advance · Short duration
The trap: Three months goes fast: file the Medicaid, Katie Beckett or marketplace application the same week the job ends.
Where I read this
- O.C.G.A. § 33-24-21.1 Group continuation — Justia (O.C.G.A. mirror), read September 7, 2026
- OCI Consumer Services Division contacts — Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance, read September 7, 2026
- COBRA Continuation Coverage — U.S. Department of Labor, read August 27, 2026