Wyoming program
Keeping qualifying work coverage after eligibility ends
Wyoming lets some families continue the same group insurance after eligibility through work ends.
What it is
Wyoming lets some families continue the same group insurance after eligibility through work ends.
Keeping the same plan can avoid changing doctors in the middle of treatment. Wyoming’s continuation law applies to qualifying insured group policies outside federal COBRA. The family pays the premium, which can be much higher without the employer’s contribution.
Eligibility rules
- The insured group policy or certificate must be outside federal continuation rules and delivered in Wyoming since July 1, 1995.
- You need three months of continuous group coverage immediately before losing eligibility.
- Continuation ends early if you miss a payment, get other group coverage, or the employer drops the plan. A parent going on Medicare does not end a spouse's or child's right to continue.
What you get
- Up to 12 months on the group plan, at up to 102% of the group rate.
Coverage and costs
- Covered hospital, surgical and major medical benefits can continue for the employee and covered dependents. Premiums are paid monthly in advance.
- Dental and vision benefits are included only when the statute's conditions are met. The insurer can explain which benefits continue under this policy.
If you decide to apply
- Ask the employer’s benefits office whether Wyoming continuation applies and who receives the written election.
- Have the coverage end date, group premium and insurer’s details ready. If you choose continuation, submit the written election and first contribution within 31 days.
The insurer, the third-party administrator or the employer · Official page ↗
After you apply
- A timely election and payment can continue coverage without a gap. The confirmation identifies the monthly premium.
Good to know
The 31-day deadline includes the first payment. Twelve months is a maximum; other conditions can end coverage sooner.
Other details
- The election and first-payment period runs from the date coverage would end. The premium and treatment network can be compared with other coverage options before choosing.
Official sources
“Could we continue this group plan if work coverage ends? How would the premium and deadlines compare with other options, and could you help us choose and complete the election?”
Why I’m asking: I want to avoid a gap in treatment coverage if work changes.
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
Elect in writing and pay the first month within 31 days.
Your social worker
The employer's benefits office names the insurer and the address.
The care team
Records and letters when the application asks for them.
- Who decides
- The insurer or the employer.
- Ask HR
- “Is our plan insured or self-funded, and does Wyoming's twelve-month continuation apply? Where do I send the written election and the first payment?”
How to apply
First step: Ask the employer's benefits office today who to send the written election to, and send it with the first payment.
- Ask the employer's benefits office in writing whether the plan is insured or self-funded, and who to send the election to.
- Send the written election and the first payment within 31 days of the date coverage would end.
- Compare the cost with a marketplace plan before you commit, because losing coverage opens a 60-day window there.
Official application / program page ↗
Where it starts: Write to whoever the employer names and send the first month's payment with the letter, within 31 days.
What to gather
- The date coverage ends
- The monthly group rate
- The insurer's name and address
How long: Coverage carries on without a gap once the election and payment arrive in time.
Clock: Wyoming gives 31 days from the date coverage would otherwise end to elect continuation in writing and pay the first month.
What a yes looks like
A letter confirming the plan continues and the monthly amount.
What a no looks like, and the next move
Usually the plan is self-funded or the three-month rule was not met. Ask which, and move to a marketplace plan within 60 days.
Watch out
- The 31 days run from the date coverage would end, and the first payment goes with the letter.
- You need three months on the plan immediately beforehand.
- Whether it reaches a self-funded or a government employer's plan was not established; ask which kind yours is.
The numbers and the rules
The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.
What it is worth
Up to 12 months on the group plan after a job ends, at up to 102 percent of the group rate, if you elect in writing within 31 days.
- $12 — Maximum months of continued coverage
- $31 — Days to elect in writing and pay the first month
- $3 — Months of continuous coverage needed immediately beforehand
- $102 — Maximum share of the group rate you can be charged
Covers: Continuation of hospital, surgical and major medical cover for the employee and covered dependents
Legal protection: A written election within 31 days keeps the plan for up to twelve months
What it costs the family: Up to 102 percent of the group rate, paid monthly in advance.
The eligibility facts, as published
- Plan
- an insured group policy or certificate not subject to the federal continuation rules, delivered in Wyoming since July 1, 1995
- Prior coverage
- continuously insured under the group policy for the three months ending with the loss of eligibility
- Deadline
- written election and the first contribution within 31 days
The trap: The 31 days run from the date coverage would otherwise end, and the first payment has to go with the written election. Missing that date is final. You also need three months of continuous coverage on the plan immediately beforehand.
Where I read this
- Wyoming Statutes, Title 26 (Insurance Code) — Wyoming Legislature, read September 10, 2026