Flexing The COBRA Muscle

The stimulus bill is now a law and employers are going to need to comply fast. Changes to COBRA — starting with a 65% federal subsidy for employees terminated between Sept. 1, 2008 and Dec. 31, 2009 — take effect March 1.

We met with Bill Sweetnam, principal at employee benefits firm Groom Law Group, in his building's gym to discuss how employers need to get their COBRA compliance muscles in shape.

In part one, Bill says the first thing employers need to do is get their different departments working together. Stay tuned for part two, where we move onto the weights and address why the legal liability will always fall on the employer, no matter who's administrating COBRA.