Cal-COBRA, California's continuation coverage law, primarily:
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
Federal COBRA requires group health continuation coverage for employers with 20 or more employees. Cal-COBRA closes the gap by granting similar continuation rights to employees of smaller employers that fall below the federal threshold, allowing them to keep group coverage for a defined period after leaving employment or losing coverage. It is state law layered on top of, not replacing, federal COBRA, so the two laws work together to cover the full spectrum of employers. The exam tests Cal-COBRA as one of the state legislative impacts on group health plans alongside ERISA, HIPAA, and mental health parity rules.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) Cal-COBRA supplements federal COBRA by covering smaller employers; it does not displace the federal scheme where COBRA already applies, and larger employers remain governed by federal COBRA.
- C) Medicare counseling is the function of HICAP, the federally authorized and state-administered counseling program, not of the Cal-COBRA continuation statute.
- D) Cal-COBRA protects employees of private smaller employers in the group market. It is not limited to state government employees, who have their own public employee benefit rules.
Memory hook
Cal-COBRA = mini-COBRA for the little guys federal COBRA leaves out.