Cobra is just the administrator of the policy...rates will mirror active member’s costs...
Not exactly. Here is a short-version of the Cobra premium calculation.
COBRA beneficiaries pay the full health
insurance premium plus a 2 percent administration fee. If monthly
premiums for employees with single
coverage are $200, for example; the
COBRA beneficiary pays 102 percent of that amount, or $204. Spouses and children also may be covered.
That description is a little murky. Say for instance, the total premium for an employee is $200/month with $100 paid by the member and the remainder by the company. If the employee is furloughed the
employee becomes responsible for paying the company's share of the premium--which is still $100/month. That $2 administration fee is a little goofy, but it has to be paid. So,
Company share = $100
Employee share = $100
Admin Fees $4
Monthly Premium $204 To be paid by furloughed employee.
I
think the premium varies by benefits to be covered and such actuarial items as average age of the covered work group. Flight attendants pay a slightly higher premium than other groups because the average age is higher than other groups. (Remember, guys, AA's #1 (in seniority) attendant has been flying for over 60 years.) IIRC when I was furloughed from AA in 2003, my Cobra premium was over $300/month. I may be wrong about this paragraph. After all It's been 17 years since I was furloughed, and I was a flight attendant--paid to be cute, not smart.