How does Service 1st Benefits support my business during open enrollment?

We personally manage the entire open enrollment process — from educating employees to handling enrollment forms and answering plan questions. Our goal is to make open enrollment smooth and stress-free for everyone.

Can employees contact you directly for help?

Yes. Employees can reach out to us anytime for questions about claims, coverage, ID cards, or plan details. We act as your team’s benefits partner, not just your broker.

What size businesses do you work with?

We specialize in serving small and medium-sized businesses, typically ranging from 1–200 employees. If you’re growing or planning to expand, we help scale your benefits as your team grows.

Do you handle communication with insurance carriers for us?

Absolutely. We take care of claims issues, employee changes, renewals, and any carrier communication so you don’t have to spend hours on hold.

Do you offer voluntary or supplemental benefits?

Yes. We can provide optional add-ons like disability, accident, or critical illness insurance to enhance your benefits package at little or no cost to the employer.

What types of group benefits do you offer?

We provide comprehensive group health, dental, vision, and life insurance options for small and medium-sized businesses. We help you compare plans, handle enrollment, and manage carrier communication.

What information do you need to provide a quote?

We typically need: Number of employees Basic employee census (age, gender, ZIP code) Current plan (if applicable) Desired benefits or coverage goals We keep the process as simple as possible.

Do you charge fees for your services?

No. Our services — including plan comparison, open enrollment, and year-round support — are provided at no additional cost to your business.

How COBRA Actually Works After You Leave a Job

Service 1st Benefits

Sep 28

2 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

Losing job-based health coverage is stressful enough without also being unsure how COBRA actually works. Here's the mechanics, in the order you'll actually run into them.

What COBRA Actually Is

COBRA isn't a new insurance plan — it's the right to keep the exact same group health plan you had as an employee, with the exact same coverage and network, after you leave. The only real change is who's paying for it: your former employer usually covers part of the premium while you're employed, but under COBRA you pay the full cost yourself, plus up to an extra 2% to cover administrative costs.

The Clock Starts With the Election Notice

You don't have to decide on the spot. Once you receive your COBRA election notice, you have 60 days to choose whether to elect coverage. That's 60 days from the later of the date the notice is provided or the date you lose coverage, not simply from your last day of work — so if the notice is delayed, your decision window shifts with it.

You Don't Have to Pay Right Away, Either

Electing COBRA and paying for it are two separate steps. Once you elect, you have 45 days to make your first premium payment. If you elect and pay within these windows, your coverage is retroactive — meaning there's no actual gap between your job-based coverage ending and your COBRA coverage starting, even if you took most of the 60 days to decide. After that first payment, each month's premium gets a 30-day grace period; miss that window and coverage ends.

How Long It Actually Lasts

Standard COBRA coverage runs 18 months. Two situations can extend it: if you're determined disabled by the Social Security Administration within the first 60 days of COBRA coverage, your whole family's coverage can extend to 29 months. And if a second qualifying event happens during that original window — the covered employee dies, becomes entitled to Medicare, or a divorce/dependent losing eligibility occurs — coverage can extend to 36 months for the affected family members.

What It Actually Costs

Because you're paying the full premium instead of just your employee share, COBRA is usually a real jump in monthly cost compared to what came out of your paycheck before. It's not a discount program — it's access to the same coverage at the real cost of that coverage. That's worth knowing going in, since it's the single most common surprise people run into.

Final Thoughts

COBRA exists to prevent a hard gap in coverage, not to be the cheapest option available. Knowing the actual timeline — 60 days to elect, 45 days to pay, retroactive once you do — means you can use that window deliberately instead of scrambling, whether you end up sticking with COBRA or comparing it against marketplace coverage in the meantime.