Maryland program
Keep a small employer's plan after the job ends
A way to keep an eligible employer health plan after leaving the job. Maryland continuation can cover smaller employers too.
What it is
A way to keep an eligible employer health plan after leaving the job. Maryland continuation can cover smaller employers too.
Keeping the same plan can help preserve your child's treatment network. Maryland's continuation rules differ from federal COBRA. Employer size, the contract and your earlier coverage all matter.
Eligibility rules
- You must be a Maryland resident covered by the same employer's current or predecessor group contract for at least three months.
- The route covers eligible insured contracts issued or delivered in Maryland, including employers with fewer than 20 employees. Self-funded employer plans sit outside this state insurance rule.
- A voluntary or involuntary termination can qualify when it is not for cause.
What you get
- Up to 18 months on the same eligible employer plan.
- Previously covered spouses and dependent children can continue when the contract includes them.
What the help covers
- The existing contract continues rather than being replaced by a new marketplace policy.
If you decide to apply
- Ask human resources for the Maryland continuation election form, deadline and full premium amount.
- Have the employment end date, insurance documents and proof of at least three months of coverage ready.
- If you choose continuation, return the signed election form to the employer within its election period.
The employer and its insurer · 1-800-492-6116 · Official page ↗
After you apply
- The election period begins with the qualifying change and ends at least 45 days later. This is not the federal COBRA election clock.
Good to know
You pay the premium yourself. A dismissal for cause does not qualify under this route.
Other details
- For a self-funded plan, federal COBRA and marketplace enrollment are separate possibilities. Human resources can identify which kind of plan you have.
“Can our current plan continue under Maryland's rule, and what would the full premium be? Could you help compare its benefits and costs with other coverage before we decide?”
Why I’m asking: Keeping the same cancer team could matter if employment ends, but I need to know the price.
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
Hand the employer a signed election form inside the window and keep a copy.
Your social worker
Human resources gives you the form and says whether the plan is insured or self-funded.
The care team
Records and letters when the application asks for them.
- Who decides
- The employer and the insurer; the Maryland Insurance Administration handles complaints.
- Ask HR
- “Is this plan fully insured or self-funded? If it is insured, please give me the Maryland continuation election form and tell me the date my window closes.”
How to apply
First step: Ask the employer for the Maryland continuation election form before the last day of work.
- Ask the employer in writing for the continuation election form before the last day.
- Ask whether the plan is insured or self-funded, because Maryland law only reaches insured plans.
Official application / program page ↗
Where it starts: Give the employer a signed election notification form inside the election period.
What to gather
- The date employment ends
- The insurance card and plan documents
- Proof you were covered for at least three months
How long: The election period begins on the date of the change in status and ends at least 45 days later.
Clock: At least 45 days from the change in status to hand the employer a signed election form.
What a yes looks like
The same plan continues, and you get an invoice for the premium.
What a no looks like, and the next move
If the plan is self-funded, ask about federal COBRA and about Maryland Health Connection instead.
Watch out
- The election window ends at least 45 days after the change in status, which is not the federal clock.
- You must have been covered under that employer's group contract for at least three months.
- A dismissal for cause does not qualify.
The numbers and the rules
The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.
What it is worth
The same insured plan for up to 18 months after the job ends, elected within at least 45 days, at your own cost.
- $18 — Maximum months of continuation after a qualifying change in status
- $45 — Minimum length of the election period after the change in status
- $3 — Months of prior coverage under the same employer's group contract required
Covers: The same plan the employee already had
Legal protection: Covers a voluntary departure as well as a dismissal, so long as it was not for cause · A previously covered spouse and dependent children can continue where the contract covers them
What it costs the family: You pay the premium.
The eligibility facts, as published
- Employer
- Insured employer contracts and employer health maintenance organization contracts issued or delivered in Maryland, including employers with fewer than twenty employees
- Tenure
- Maryland resident covered under a current or predecessor group contract with the same employer for at least 3 months
- Qualifying event
- Termination of employment other than for cause, voluntary or involuntary
- Plan type
- Fully insured only; self-funded plans are outside Maryland insurance law
The trap: The election window runs from the day the status changes and ends at least 45 days after it. That is not the federal clock, so do not assume 60 days.
Where I read this
- Maryland Insurance §15-409 — Maryland General Assembly, read September 10, 2026
- MIA — Continuation of Health Care Coverage — Maryland Insurance Administration, read September 10, 2026