Medical Expense✓ Verified · outline & fact-checked · Sep 2026Difficulty 1/5
Under COBRA, an employee who is involuntarily terminated from a job with a covered group health plan may generally continue coverage for:
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
Termination of employment, whether voluntary or involuntary, and reduction in hours are qualifying events that entitle the employee and covered dependents to COBRA continuation coverage for up to 18 months. The longer 36-month period applies to dependent-related qualifying events such as the covered employee's death, divorce, or a dependent's aging out of coverage. COBRA requires the employer's group plan to offer the same coverage at the group rate, with the former employee paying the full premium plus an administrative fee. This 18-month rule is tested under AH-III.B.4.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) Six months is not a COBRA continuation period; the standard termination period is 18 months.
- C) Thirty-six months applies to dependent qualifying events such as divorce or aging out, not to the employee's own termination.
- D) Ninety days is far shorter than any COBRA continuation period for termination of employment.
Memory hook
Fired or quit: 18 months of COBRA. Divorce or aging out: 36 months.