Texas program
Texas state continuation when COBRA does not apply
Texas continuation can keep an insured work plan going after job coverage ends. Your family pays the premium.
What it is
Texas continuation can keep an insured work plan going after job coverage ends. Your family pays the premium.
Keeping the same plan can protect access to a familiar cancer team during a work change. Texas continuation fills some gaps when COBRA is unavailable or exhausted. The full premium may be expensive, so other coverage belongs in the same conversation.
Who this can help
- The group plan must be insured and subject to Texas law. Self-funded employer plans are outside state continuation.
- You need three consecutive months of prior coverage, and federal COBRA must be unavailable or exhausted.
What you get
- The same insured group plan at the group-rate premium, paid by your family.
- Up to nine months of coverage when federal COBRA does not apply.
- Up to six additional months after federal COBRA ends.
What the rules cover
- The election window is 60 days from the coverage-loss notice. The insurer or HR confirms the exact deadline in writing.
- Premiums are paid monthly in advance at the full group rate. Keeping the network does not remove the plan’s deductible or other covered-care charges.
If you decide to apply
- Ask HR for the Texas continuation notice, full monthly premium and last day of existing coverage.
- Have proof of three consecutive months of coverage and ask the financial counselor to compare other plans.
- If continuation fits, use the written election instructions and payment dates in the notice.
HR or the insurer; TDI: 800-252-3439 · Official page ↗
What happens next
- An election notice should state the premium, payment instructions and coverage period. The family elects and pays; the insurer applies the continuation rules.
- A financial counselor can compare Medicaid, MBIC, SSI-linked coverage and Marketplace special enrollment against the continuation price and cancer network.
Good to know
Continuation is not free. A missed premium payment can end it, and the notice’s election deadline matters.
Other details
- The Marketplace coverage-loss window is separate. Choosing continuation and ending it later can affect when other coverage is available. The counselor can check dates before a decision.
Official sources
“If our work coverage ends, what would Texas continuation cost compared with our other options, and could you help us protect the cancer team’s coverage?”
Why I’m asking: I want to understand both the premium and the risk of a treatment gap.
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 HR in writing for the continuation notice the week the job ends, elect within 60 days, pay the first premium on time.
Your social worker
Runs the coverage-loss checklist with you: continuation, Medicaid (MBIC, SSI), Marketplace, in parallel.
The care team
Nothing.
- Who decides
- The insurer applies the statute. The family elects and pays
- Ask HR
- “Is our plan fully insured, and can you send the Texas state continuation notice with the premium and the election deadline?”
How to apply
First step: The week the job ends, ask HR in writing for the state continuation notice and the premium. TDI at 800-252-3439 can confirm the plan is covered.
- The week the job ends, ask HR in writing for the state continuation notice and the premium. TDI at 800-252-3439 can confirm the plan is covered.
Where it starts: Written election to the employer or insurer within 60 days; TDI 800-252-3439
What to gather
- The termination date and the last day of coverage
- HR's answer on fully insured versus self-funded
- Proof of three months of prior coverage
How long: Elect within 60 days of the notice. Coverage runs nine months (or six after COBRA).
Clock: 60 days to elect Texas state continuation; three consecutive months of prior coverage required
What a yes looks like
A continuation notice with the premium and the election form. Coverage continues without a gap.
What a no looks like, and the next move
If the plan is self-funded or the notice never comes, use the Marketplace 60-day deadline and file MBIC or SSI the same week.
Watch out
- Self-funded plans are outside Texas law. Only insured plans continue.
- Elect within 60 days and pay on time. A missed payment ends it.
- Compare with Medicaid (MBIC, SSI) and the Marketplace in the same week. Continuation is not free.
The numbers and the rules
The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 8, 2026.
What it is worth
The same insured employer plan for nine months after a job ends when COBRA is not available, or six more months after COBRA ends. You pay the group-rate premium.
Covers: Same plan and network continue
Legal protection: Nine months of continuation when federal COBRA does not apply · Six additional months after federal COBRA ends · 60-day election deadline
What it costs the family: Full premium at the group rate, paid monthly in advance.
The eligibility facts, as published
- Plan
- insured group plan subject to Texas law
- Prior coverage
- three consecutive months
- Election days
- 60
- Cobra ineligible or exhausted
- yes
The trap: Elect within 60 days and pay on time. A missed payment ends it.
Where I read this
- TDI cb005: Continuing your health coverage; Insurance Code 1251.252, .253, .255 — Texas Department of Insurance, read September 7, 2026
- COBRA Continuation Coverage — U.S. Department of Labor, read August 27, 2026