North Carolina program
Work health coverage after the job ends
A way to keep an insured work health plan after eligibility ends, by paying the premium yourself.
What it is
A way to keep an insured work health plan after eligibility ends, by paying the premium yourself.
Keeping the work plan can preserve the treatment network during a job change. North Carolina continuation covers group policies issued in the state, regardless of employer size. It does not cover a plan the employer funds itself.
Eligibility rules
- The policy must be issued or delivered in North Carolina. Self-funded employer plans are excluded.
- You must have been continuously insured under it for the preceding three months. Other group coverage available within 31 days and termination for nonpayment can exclude this route.
What you get
- The same insured plan for up to 18 months.
- Coverage back to the day it would have ended once the first contribution is paid.
What the help covers
- The state rule is not limited to small employers. Federal COBRA is a separate route with its own rules.
If you decide to apply
- Ask human resources whether the policy is insured and for the written election form and full premium.
- Have the coverage-end date and proof of the preceding three months of coverage ready.
- If you choose continuation, send the written election with the first contribution.
The employer or group policyholder · Official page ↗
If you decide to apply
- The election window is at least 60 days after the job ends or eligibility is lost. The first contribution accompanies the election; payments are in advance.
Good to know
The premium includes the employer’s former share. Keeping the same plan can therefore cost much more.
Other details
- A child can also qualify for Medicaid while keeping continuation coverage.
“If our work coverage ends, could state continuation keep our child with the same team? Could you compare the full cost with other coverage and help us understand the election deadline?”
Why I’m asking: I want to avoid a treatment gap without committing to a premium we cannot manage.
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 what kind of plan it is, elect in writing, and pay the first contribution on time.
Your social worker
Human resources confirms the plan type and sends the election form.
The care team
Records and letters when the application asks for them.
- Who decides
- The employer or the group policyholder administers it.
- Ask HR
- “Is this plan insured or self-insured? If it is insured, I elect North Carolina continuation, and I want the election form and the premium today.”
How to apply
First step: Write to human resources today asking whether the plan is insured, and say you elect continuation.
- Ask human resources in writing whether the plan is insured or self-insured.
- If it is insured, elect continuation in writing before the 60 days run out.
- Ask about the federal route as well if the employer has 20 or more staff.
Official application / program page ↗
Where it starts: Tell human resources in writing that you elect continuation, and pay the first contribution at the same time.
What to gather
- The plan document or summary
- The date cover ends
- Your last three months of pay slips showing the deduction
How long: You have at least 60 days to elect; cover is backdated once the first payment is made.
Clock: You have at least 60 days after the job ends or eligibility is lost to elect continuation.
What a yes looks like
An election form, a premium figure at or under 102% of the group rate, and unbroken cover.
What a no looks like, and the next move
If the plan is self-insured, ask about the federal continuation route and about HealthCare.gov within 60 days.
Watch out
- It does not reach a plan the employer runs on its own money. Ask human resources in writing.
- You need to have been on the plan for the three months before it ended.
- Electing after 60 days is too late.
The numbers and the rules
The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.
What it is worth
Keep the same insured work plan for up to 18 months at no more than 102% of the group rate.
- $18 — Longest continuation after the job ends
- $102 — Most you can be charged, as a share of the full group rate
- $60 — Time to elect after the job ends
- $3 — Months you must already have been on the plan
Covers: The same plan, the same network, the same oncology team
Legal protection: Cover is backdated to the day it would have ended once you pay the first contribution
What it costs the family: Up to 102% of the full group rate, paid in advance.
The eligibility facts, as published
- Plan type
- a group policy delivered or issued for delivery in North Carolina; self-insured employer plans are expressly excluded
- Tenure
- continuously insured for the three months before it ended
- Exclusions
- other group cover available within 31 days; termination for non-payment
The trap: The three-month rule is real: continuation is only for someone continuously insured under the policy for the three months before it ended. Ask human resources in writing whether the plan is insured or self-insured before counting on this.
Where I read this
- NC General Statutes Chapter 58, Article 53 (continuation of group coverage) — North Carolina General Assembly, read September 10, 2026