COBRA in Washington

Washington does not require small employers to offer continuation. It does something different: insurers must offer employers the option to include it, and every group medical policy must give you the right to convert to an individual policy when your group coverage ends.

Reviewed by Prodest Insurance Group, a licensed insurance agency (NPN 19515569) · Updated 20 October 2026 against the Revised Code of Washington, Washington Health Benefit Exchange guidance, and federal sources.

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Continuation Is the Employer's Choice

Under RCW 48.21.250, every insurer issuing group hospital or medical coverage must offer the employer an option to include continuation in the policy, for a period of time and at a rate agreed between them. Because it is an option, whether you have any continuation right depends on what your former employer chose.

Check your certificate of coverage

If your employer took up the option, the length and cost are whatever the policy says, not a figure set by state law. Your certificate of coverage or the carrier can tell you whether it applies.

If your former employer had fewer than twenty employees and did not take up the option, there is no continuation right. The conversion policy and the Special Enrollment Period are what remain.

Washington Rules Compared With Federal COBRA

	Federal COBRA	Washington
Who it reaches	Employers with 20 or more employees	Continuation only where the employer chose the option
How long	18 months, up to 36 for some events	Whatever the policy provides
What you pay	Up to 102 percent of the full premium	The rate agreed in the policy
Conversion when group coverage ends	Not required	Required. 31 days to apply
If the plan is cancelled	Coverage ends	A conversion policy must still be offered, unless you can get other group coverage within 31 days

Federal COBRA covers employers with twenty or more employees whether the plan is insured or self-funded, and it works in Washington exactly as it does everywhere else.

The Right to Convert

RCW 48.21.260 requires every group policy providing hospital or medical benefits to let you obtain a conversion policy from the insurer when your eligibility for the group plan ends. You apply in writing and pay the first premium within 31 days of the later of your coverage ending or receiving notice that it has ended, and the conversion policy starts with no gap in coverage.

The insurer cannot require proof of good health, and a conversion policy cannot exclude pre-existing conditions. Insurers must offer at least three plan designs, and the premium is set by your age and risk class.

Conversion is not offered to anyone eligible for Medicare or covered under another group plan. If you were terminated for misconduct, the insurer need not offer it to you, but it must still offer it to your spouse and dependents.

A conversion policy is not a Marketplace plan, so no premium tax credit applies to it. Compare it with Washington Healthplanfinder before choosing.

During a Strike or Lockout

If your pay stops because of a strike, lockout, or other labor dispute, RCW 48.21.075 lets you keep group coverage by paying the premiums directly to the policyholder for up to six months, at the same rates and coverage. The policyholder must tell you in writing, straight away, that you can do this.

How Much Does COBRA Cost in Washington?

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 Washington's average employer premium in 2025, that works out to about $741 a month for single coverage and $2,348 a month for family coverage. That is about $26 a month less than the U.S. average of $767 for single coverage.

	Single coverage	Family coverage
Average full annual premium in Washington	$8,712	$27,618
Estimated COBRA cost per month (102%)	$741	$2,348

Estimate = average total employer premium in Washington × 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: Idaho · Oregon

Health Insurance After Job Loss in Washington

Cascade Care Savings, a state-funded subsidy, lowers premiums further for households at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty level who choose a Cascade Care Silver or Gold plan through Healthplanfinder.

Washington expanded Medicaid through Apple Health, so adults under 65 with household income up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level may qualify. Federal law passed in 2025 adds work and community engagement requirements for expansion adults from January 2027.

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 Washington?

About $741 a month for single coverage and $2,348 a month for family coverage, based on Washington'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 Washington?

Washington runs its own marketplace, Washington Healthplanfinder, rather than using HealthCare.gov. Losing job-based coverage opens a 60-day Special Enrollment Period, and you can enrol up to 60 days before coverage ends so a new plan starts as the old one stops. Cascade Care Savings, a state-funded subsidy, lowers premiums further for households at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty level who choose a Cascade Care Silver or Gold plan through Healthplanfinder.

Does Washington have mini-COBRA?

Not a required one. Insurers must offer employers the option to include continuation, so it depends on what your employer chose.

What is the conversion right?

Every group medical policy must let you obtain a conversion policy within 31 days, with no health questions and no pre-existing condition exclusions.

How long does continuation last if my employer chose it?

Whatever the policy provides, at the rate agreed in it.

What happens during a strike or lockout?

You can keep group coverage by paying premiums directly for up to six months.

What is Cascade Care Savings?

A state subsidy for households at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty level who choose a Cascade Care Silver or Gold plan.

Sources

Drawn from the Revised Code of Washington, Washington Health Benefit Exchange guidance, and federal sources. Your plan documents and the terms your carrier provides govern your specific situation.

Revised Code of Washington, Chapter 48.21, Group and Blanket Disability Insurance (RCW 48.21.075, 48.21.250, 48.21.260, 48.21.270)
Washington Health Benefit Exchange, Cascade Care Savings
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

Continuation, conversion, or the Marketplace?

A licensed agent can check whether your former employer chose continuation, compare a conversion policy with Healthplanfinder plans, and work out your deadlines. No charge, no obligation.