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Is COBRA Available for the Military?

In place of COBRA, the U.S. military utilizes the Continued Health Care Benefit Program, or CHCBP, as extended health care coverage for its members. Humana Military Health Care Services, Inc. (Humana Military) administers it.

  1. Features

    • CHCBP offers transitional coverage for 18 to 36 months after Tricare coverage has ended. Applicants must purchase the insurance within 60 days of Tricare's expiration or the expiration of Transitional Assistance Management Program (TAMP) coverage. CHCBP's coverage is similar to Tricare Standard, and the same providers, benefits and program rules apply. However, the beneficiary must now pay a premium.

    Premiums

    • For plans effective on or after October 1, 2010, premiums are $988 per quarter (every three months) for individuals. For families, the rate is $2,213 per quarter. No cost variations among the plans are based on rank while in active-duty status.

    Eligibility

    • Former active-duty personnel who have been released from service under positive conditions, along with their eligible family members, can elect CHCBP for up to 18 months. Former spouses who have not remarried, children who no longer qualify as "eligible family members" but were eligible for Tricare on the day before they stopped meeting these requirements and certain unmarried children acquired via adoption or legal custody are generally eligible for CHCBP for up to 36 months.

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