I am not sure how many blogs have started with, "________ is SO hard to understand," but here we are again. COBRA is complicated and even more so when discussing Medicare. Thankfully, Medcom's Senior Legal Counsel, Michelle Barki, helped us out this week with a feature article from Medcom's quarterly Benefits Leader newsletter. If you find this article helpful (which I have no doubt you will) then subscribe to our email list at the top of the site!!

Now, on to Michelle's article:

Medicare, Eligibility, Entitlement

Is it possible for time to move fast while simultaneously standing still? We've had that feeling quite a bit over the past few months, and we expect many of you feel the same. The pandemic started roughly seven months ago, and at times we think to ourselves at Medcom, "where has the time gone? These months have flown by." But in the same breath, we also feel that surely it's been 10 years since February, and we can't believe we are still in the year 2020!

Regardless, we are still here, we are still in a...

Last Friday, July 24, the Office of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the extension of the Public Health Emergency due to COVID-19. The emergency period is extended by 90 days and favored by radiologists, hospitals, physicians, and many others. The previous emergency period would have expired on Saturday, July 25. Now, the declaration will last through October 23. The extension comes as a massive relief for Medicare and Medicaid providers and those on the frontlines battling this terrible pandemic. Nevertheless, I couldn't help but wonder: What does this mean for us ordinary folks? 

According to the press release...

The Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced changes to COBRA, including time frame extensions, special enrollment periods, and claim deadlines. The changes are complex and are causing a lot of street and worry already. We are here to help sort through some of the challenges by providing some basic guidelines.

Since the Coronavirus pandemic was declared a National Emergency on March 13, the government has introduced the Families First Coronavirus Act and the CARES Act. Each of them offers different types of benefits for those who are finding this time financially difficult, including additional paid sick leave, the...