Title 42The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73

§300bb–1 State and local governmental group health plans must provide continuation coverage to certain individuals

Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 6A— - PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER XX— - REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTAIN GROUP HEALTH PLANS FOR CERTAIN STATE AND LOCAL EMPLOYEES › § 300bb–1

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

State or local government health plans that get federal funds must let people who'd lose coverage because of certain events choose to keep that coverage during the plan's election period, under rules the Secretary issues. This does not apply to plans of employers with under 20 employees last year, or to plans run by the District of Columbia, U.S. territories or possessions, or agencies.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §300bb–1

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In accordance with regulations which the Secretary shall prescribe, each group health plan that is maintained by any State that receives funds under this chapter, by any political subdivision of such a State, or by any agency or instrumentality of such a State or political subdivision, shall provide, in accordance with this subchapter, that each qualified beneficiary who would lose coverage under the plan as a result of a qualifying event is entitled, under the plan, to elect, within the election period, continuation coverage under the plan.
(b)Subsection (a) shall not apply to—
(1)any group health plan for any calendar year if all employers maintaining such plan normally employed fewer than 20 employees on a typical business day during the preceding calendar year, or
(2)any group health plan maintained for employees by the government of the District of Columbia or any territory or possession of the United States or any agency or instrumentality.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1989—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 101–239 struck out at end “Under

Regulations

, rules similar to the rules of subsections (a) and (b) of section 52 of title 26 (relating to employers under common control) shall apply for purposes of paragraph (1).”

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1989 Amendment Pub. L. 101–239, title VI, § 6801(a)(2), Dec. 19, 1989, 103 Stat. 2297, provided that: “The amendment made by paragraph (1) [amending this section] shall apply to years beginning after December 31, 1986.”

Effective Date

Pub. L. 99–272, title X, § 10003(b), Apr. 7, 1986, 100 Stat. 236, provided that: “(1) General rule.—The

Amendments

made by this section [enacting this subchapter] shall apply to plan years beginning on or after July 1, 1986. “(2) Special rule for collective bargaining agreements.—In the case of a group health plan maintained pursuant to one or more collective bargaining agreements between employee representatives and one or more employers ratified before the date of the enactment of this Act [Apr. 7, 1986], the

Amendments

made by this section shall not apply to plan years beginning before the later of—“(A) the date on which the last of the collective bargaining agreements relating to the plan terminates (determined without regard to any extension thereof agreed to after the date of the enactment of this Act), or “(B) January 1, 1987. For purposes of subparagraph (A), any plan amendment made pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement relating to the plan which amends the plan solely to conform to any requirement added by this section shall not be treated as a termination of such collective bargaining agreement.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 300bb–1

Title 42The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73