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

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Nebraska program

Work-plan coverage after a job ends (Nebraska continuation)

A way to keep an insured work health plan briefly after a qualifying job loss.

What it is

A way to keep an insured work health plan briefly after a qualifying job loss.

Keeping a work plan can preserve its treatment network and deductible year. Nebraska’s route follows a qualifying involuntary job loss. You pay the full premium yourself, with a possible two-percent charge.

Eligibility rules
  • This state route is for an insured employer group policy issued in Nebraska that is outside federal COBRA because of the employer’s size. The employer and insurer must confirm that the group and separation meet the statute.
  • The route follows involuntary termination other than misconduct. Private self-funded employer plans and Marketplace policies are outside this state route.
What you get
  • Up to six months of the same coverage.
  • The same network and deductible year continue.
  • The premium is capped at 102% of the full plan cost.
What the help covers
  • You take over the premium the employer previously helped pay. Federal COBRA may be another continuation route, depending on the employer and plan.
  • Six months is a maximum. Coverage can end earlier under the statute’s termination conditions.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask HR for the Nebraska continuation notice and the full premium.
  2. If you choose this route, HR and the insurer can confirm the election, first-payment deadline and accepted delivery method from your notice.
  3. Keep the termination date, notice and certified-mail receipts together.

The employer and the insurer · Official page ↗

After you apply
  • The employer has ten days after termination to send notice. HR and the insurer must confirm the separate election and first-payment deadlines under section 44-1642, including how the response is delivered.
Good to know

This only follows a layoff or other involuntary job loss, not a cut in hours or a leave. The deadline to elect is short, so ask HR for the notice the day coverage ends.

Other details
  • Loss of job coverage also opens a 60-day Marketplace enrollment window. A different plan can change the network and out-of-pocket costs.
  • Keeping the same deductible year can matter during treatment, but six months is a limited bridge.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“If our job coverage ends, can we keep this plan through Nebraska continuation? How does its full cost compare with COBRA or a Marketplace plan, and could you help with the choice and paperwork?”

Why I’m asking: I want to preserve treatment access while understanding the premium and short election deadline.

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

The family reviews the notice and, if it chooses continuation, follows the insurer-confirmed election and payment requirements.

Your social worker

HR must send the notice within ten days of the termination.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
The employer sends the notice; the insurer continues the coverage.
Ask HR
“My child is in cancer treatment. Please send me the Nebraska continuation notice in writing, with the monthly premium and the deadline.”

How to apply

First step: Your social worker can help HR identify any continuation notice, qualifying event and deadline.

  1. Ask HR for the continuation notice in writing.
  2. If the family chooses continuation, HR and the insurer confirm how and when the election and first premium are submitted.
  3. Price it against a Marketplace plan before you decide.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: HR and the insurer identify the continuation notice, actual qualifying event, premium, election deadline and accepted response method.

What to gather

  • The termination date
  • The full monthly premium for the plan
  • Certified mail receipts

How long: The employer must send notice within ten days after a qualifying termination. HR and the insurer must confirm the separate election and first-payment deadlines, including the accepted delivery method.

Clock: The notice and insurer must confirm the election and first-payment deadlines under section 44-1642 and how the response is delivered.

What a yes looks like

A notice naming the premium and the deadline, and coverage that simply continues.

What a no looks like, and the next move

If HR says the plan is self-funded, this law does not reach it. Ask about the federal route and the Marketplace instead.

Watch out

  • The election and first-payment deadlines need the actual notice and insurer’s confirmation; the employer’s ten-day notice duty is a separate clock.
  • It follows an involuntary termination other than misconduct, not automatically a resignation.
  • It does not reach a self-funded employer plan or a Marketplace policy.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.

What it is worth

Up to six months on the same work plan at no more than 102% of the full premium.

  • $6 — Maximum months of continued coverage
  • $102 — Cap on the premium you can be charged
  • $10 — Days for the employer to send notice after the job ends

Legal protection: The same plan, the same network and the same deductible year continue

What it costs the family: You pay the whole premium, plus up to two percent.

The eligibility facts, as published

Insurance status condition
An insured employer group policy issued in Nebraska that is outside federal COBRA because of employer size; HR and the insurer confirm coverage.
Other
follows an involuntary termination other than misconduct; do not assume it after a voluntary quit
Residency
Nebraska
Processing standard
The employer must send notice within ten days after a qualifying termination. HR and the insurer must confirm the separate election and first-payment deadlines, including the accepted delivery method.

Expect friction on: The employer must send notice within ten days after a qualifying termination. HR and the insurer must confirm the separate election and first-payment deadlines, including the accepted delivery method.

The trap: The law follows an involuntary termination other than misconduct. It does not automatically follow a voluntary quit to care for a child, so ask the employer in writing what they will offer.

Where I read this

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