1. Group health plans provided by employers with 20 or more part or full-time employees working more than 50% of the previous year's business days are subject to COBRA.http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq_consumer_cobra.html
2. A qualified beneficiary is an employee, employee's spouse or employee's dependent child who is covered by the group health plan at the time of the event that causes the need for COBRA.
3. A qualified event is also necessary to obtain COBRA coverage. These events include voluntary or involuntary termination of employment, as long as those reasons do not include gross misconduct.http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq_consumer_cobra.html
   1. For spouses and/or dependent children, additional events might also qualify them for COBRA, including divorce from or death of the employee with the health coverage.

It is important to note that in order to even be considered for COBRA coverage, you must have been enrolled in your employer's group health plan until your separation date and the plan must continue to be available for employees still on payroll.

1. Your employer must notify their health plan administrators that you have become eligible for COBRA within 30 days. You must then be sent an election notice within 14 days after that.
2. You have 60 days from your separation date to elect COBRA coverage, and 45 days from your election date to pay your first premium.http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq_consumer_cobra.html

The election notice varies from state to state but generally consists of a couple simple forms. Just make sure to get these in within 60 days to take advantage of COBRA coverage.

1. You will need to have lost your job in an involuntary manner between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009.
2. You must qualify for, and elect, COBRA coverage.http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq-cobra-premiumreductionEE.html
3. You must earn less than $125,000 for the year ($250,000 for married couples filing jointly). If you apply for the subsidy and end up earning more than this amount, you may end up having to pay back any subsidy amount in taxes.

You are eligible to receive the subsidy for up to nine months. The subsidy will end in less than nine months if:

1. You become eligible for Medicare.
2. You are eligible to elect coverage under a new employer provided group health plan, such as when you or your spouse get a new job.
3. You come to the end of your COBRA coverage period.
4. You fail to pay your remaining COBRA premiums on time.http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq-cobra-premiumreductionEE.html