Wisconsin program
Keeping an insured work plan (Wisconsin continuation)
A way to keep an insured work health plan after eligibility ends, by paying its premium.
What it is
A way to keep an insured work health plan after eligibility ends, by paying its premium.
Wisconsin continuation can keep you enrolled in an insured work plan after coverage eligibility ends. It applies to employers of any size. You pay the full premium, and the plan’s benefits and network can still change.
Eligibility rules
- At least three months of continuous group coverage is required.
- Covered events include loss of eligibility other than discharge for misconduct, death of the employee, divorce or annulment.
- The rule covers insured group policies, not self-funded employer plans, accident-only policies or specified-disease policies.
What you get
- Up to 18 months on the same insured group plan.
- Continued enrollment, with the same plan changes that apply to other members.
If you decide to apply
- Ask HR for the Wisconsin continuation notice, full premium and election deadline in writing.
- Have the coverage end date and evidence of at least three months' continuous group coverage ready.
Your HR office or insurer; Wisconsin insurance regulator: 800-236-8517 · Official page ↗
Good to know
The 30-day election and first-payment period generally starts when you receive the notice. Federal COBRA has different deadlines, and the employer’s plan can still change while you continue it.
Other details
- The employer must send the notice within five days of coverage ending, and your 30 days to choose and pay run from the day you receive it, so note that date.
- Federal COBRA and Marketplace enrollment have separate rules and deadlines. HR can identify which continuation route applies.
- You pay the group premium with no extra surcharge. Continuation ends early if you miss a payment, move out of Wisconsin, become eligible for other comparable group coverage, or the employer ends the plan. Get the premium and payment dates in writing.
Official sources
“If our work coverage ends, would continuing it be better than changing plans, and could you help us compare costs and complete the election if appropriate?”
Why I’m asking: Keeping our child's current network matters, but I need to know the full premium and 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
Get the notice in writing, then elect and pay inside 30 days.
Your social worker
The employer sends notice within five days of the specified termination or request to terminate coverage. The family’s election and initial-payment clock runs from receipt.
The care team
Records and letters when the application asks for them.
- Who decides
- The insurer, on the employer's notice.
- Ask HR
- “Is our plan insured or self-funded? If it is insured, please send the Wisconsin continuation notice with the premium and the deadline in writing.”
How to apply
First step: Ask HR in writing for the Wisconsin continuation notice, the premium and the deadline, the day work changes.
- Ask HR in writing for the continuation notice the day work changes.
- Compare the premium with a Marketplace plan before the 30 days run out.
Official application / program page ↗
Where it starts: Ask HR in writing for the continuation notice, then elect and pay within 30 days of getting it.
What to gather
- The date coverage ends
- The employer's written notice
- The monthly premium figure
How long: Election and the first payment are generally due within 30 days after receiving the continuation notice. The employer’s notice is due within five days of the specified termination or request to terminate coverage.
Clock: Thirty days from the employer's written notice to choose continuation and pay the first premium.
What a yes looks like
Continued enrollment in the insured group plan, subject to the same benefit, network and premium changes as active members.
What a no looks like, and the next move
The plan administrator confirms whether state continuation applies and calculates the receipt-based election deadline. Federal COBRA and Marketplace enrollment have separate routes and deadlines.
Watch out
- Election and the first payment are generally due within 30 days after receiving the continuation notice. The employer’s notice is due within five days of the specified termination or request to terminate coverage.
- Wisconsin's rule does not reach self-funded plans; the federal one does.
- Compare the full premium against a Marketplace plan before deciding.
The numbers and the rules
The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.
What it is worth
Up to 18 months on the same insured work plan, at an employer of any size, if you elect within 30 days of the notice.
- $18 — Maximum months of continued group coverage
- $3 — Months of prior continuous coverage needed
- $5 — Days the employer has to give written notice
- $30 — Days to decide and pay the first premium after that notice
Covers: Continued enrollment in the insured group plan, subject to the same benefit, network and premium changes as active members.
Legal protection: Applies to insured group policies at employers of any size
What it costs the family: The full premium, paid by the family.
The eligibility facts, as published
- Plans
- insured group policies; not employer self-funded plans, and not specified-disease or accident-only policies
- Employer size
- any size
- Prior coverage
- at least three months of continuous coverage under the group policy
- Events
- loss of eligibility other than discharge for misconduct, death of the employee, divorce or annulment
- Public plans
- how the statute treats government-employer plans was not established
The trap: Election and the first payment are generally due within 30 days after receiving the continuation notice. The employer’s notice is due within five days of the specified termination or request to terminate coverage.
Where I read this
- OCI Fact Sheet on Continuation Rights in Health Insurance Policies (PI-023) — Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, read September 10, 2026
- OCI: Health Insurance Options After You Lose Your Job — Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, read September 10, 2026