COBRA in Oregon

Oregon continuation for small employers lasts nine months. Oregon also has a rule most states lack: at larger employers, a divorced, separated, or widowed spouse aged 55 or older can keep group coverage with no fixed end date.

Reviewed by Prodest Insurance Group, a licensed insurance agency (NPN 19515569) · Updated 20 October 2026 against the Oregon Revised Statutes, Oregon Health Authority guidance, and federal sources.

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Nine Months for Small Employers

Section 743B.347 of the Oregon Revised Statutes applies to employers that are not required to offer federal COBRA. It lets an employee, and a spouse or dependent child covered the day before the event, continue group coverage after the employee leaves the job, has hours cut, becomes eligible for Medicare, or dies, or after a child loses dependent status.

Check the deadline in your notice

You must ask for continuation in writing within the time your insurer sets. The insurer cannot require the request sooner than ten days after the later of the qualifying event or the date it gives you notice.

That minimum is short, so treat the notice as urgent and read the deadline it gives.

To qualify, the employee must have been covered under the group policy for the three months ending on the date of the qualifying event.

Oregon Continuation Compared With Federal COBRA

	Federal COBRA	Oregon continuation
Who it reaches	Employers with 20 or more employees	Employers not subject to federal COBRA
How long	18 months, up to 36 for some events	9 months
Prior coverage needed	None	Three months
Time to elect	60 days	Set by the insurer, but no less than 10 days after the event or notice
What you pay	Up to 102 percent of the full premium	No more than the group premium rate
If the policy is replaced	Coverage continues under the plan	Continues under the replacement policy for the balance of the period

You pay the premium monthly and in advance, to the insurer or to the employer, as the group policy provides.

Spouses 55 and Older at Larger Employers

Sections 743B.343 to 743B.345 apply to employers with twenty or more employees. They let a surviving spouse who is 55 or older at the employee's death, or a divorced or legally separated spouse who is 55 or older at the divorce or separation, continue coverage for themselves and their dependent children.

There is no fixed end date. Coverage continues until premiums stop, the group policy ends, or the spouse joins another group plan, remarries, or becomes eligible for Medicare. Dental, vision, and prescription coverage must be offered too, if the employee had them.

The deadlines matter. A divorced or separated spouse must give the plan administrator written notice within 60 days of the separation or divorce. The administrator then has 14 days to send an election form, which must be returned within 60 days of mailing, and the first premium is due within 45 days of electing. The premium is capped at the full group cost plus up to 2 percent for administration.

Rehired Within Nine Months

If you are laid off and rehired by the same employer within nine months, the employer's plan cannot make you serve a waiting period again, as long as you were eligible for coverage when you were laid off. That holds whether or not you continued coverage during the layoff.

How Much Does COBRA Cost in Oregon?

Federal COBRA lets a plan charge up to 102 percent of the full premium: everything your employer was paying, everything you were paying, plus two percent. Based on Oregon's average employer premium in 2025, that works out to about $784 a month for single coverage and $2,310 a month for family coverage. That is about $17 a month more than the U.S. average of $767 for single coverage.

	Single coverage	Family coverage
Average full annual premium in Oregon	$9,225	$27,182
Estimated COBRA cost per month (102%)	$784	$2,310

Estimate = average total employer premium in Oregon × 1.02 ÷ 12, from the federal Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (2025). These are averages. Your exact premium depends on your former employer's plan and is listed on your COBRA election notice. If you are on state continuation instead of federal COBRA, the premium rules described on this page apply.

Compare COBRA costs in every state →
Estimate your own premium with the COBRA cost calculator →
Nearby states: California · Idaho · Nevada · Washington

Health Insurance After Job Loss in Oregon

Oregon expanded Medicaid through the Oregon Health Plan. It also runs OHP Bridge for adults under 65 with household income between 138 and 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

A spouse or parent's plan. Losing your own coverage usually opens a window to join a family member's employer plan, and that window can be as short as 30 days. Ask early.

Common Questions

How much is COBRA insurance in Oregon?

About $784 a month for single coverage and $2,310 a month for family coverage, based on Oregon's 2025 average employer premium plus the 2 percent administrative fee federal COBRA allows. Your actual premium depends on your former employer's plan and appears on your COBRA election notice.

What are my health insurance options after losing my job in Oregon?

Oregon is moving off HealthCare.gov. From November 1, 2026, Oregon residents shop and enrol through the state's own marketplace, Explore Health, for coverage starting in 2027. Losing job-based coverage opens a 60-day Special Enrollment Period. Oregon expanded Medicaid through the Oregon Health Plan. It also runs OHP Bridge for adults under 65 with household income between 138 and 200 percent of the federal poverty level. A spouse or parent's plan. Losing your own coverage usually opens a window to join a family member's employer plan, and that window can be as short as 30 days. Ask early.

How long does Oregon continuation last?

Nine months, for employers not subject to federal COBRA.

How long do I have to elect?

Within the time your insurer sets, which cannot be less than ten days after the later of the event or the notice.

What is the rule for spouses 55 and older?

At employers with 20 or more employees, a surviving, divorced, or separated spouse aged 55 or older can continue with no fixed end date, until Medicare, remarriage, or other group coverage.

How much does it cost?

No more than the group premium rate for small-employer continuation.

What is Explore Health?

Oregon's own marketplace, replacing HealthCare.gov from November 1, 2026, for coverage starting in 2027.

What is OHP Bridge?

Coverage for adults under 65 with household income between 138 and 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

Sources

Drawn from the Oregon Revised Statutes as published by the Oregon Legislature, Oregon Health Authority guidance, and federal sources. Your plan documents and the terms your carrier provides govern your specific situation.

Oregon Revised Statutes, Chapter 743B, Sections 743B.343 to 743B.347
Oregon Health Authority, State-based Marketplace Project
U.S. Department of Labor, FAQs on COBRA Continuation Health Coverage for Workers
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Insurance Component, 2025

Nine months, or longer for some spouses

A licensed agent can confirm which Oregon rule applies to you, work out your deadlines, and price Explore Health plans alongside continuation. No charge, no obligation.