medicare and COBRA for my wife

I am retiring from my company and want to know if my spouse can have Medicare and COBRA?  How does this work?

[Amir Mostafaie]

Dear drivette,

There are three elements to qualifying for COBRA benefits.
1- Plans
Group health plans for employers with 20 or more employees are subject to COBRA.
2- Beneficiaries
A qualified beneficiary may be an employee, the employee's spouse and dependent children, and in certain cases, a retired employee, the retired employee's spouse and dependent children.
3- Events which initiate the coverage
In certain cases a retired employee and the retired employee's spouse and dependent children qualify for COBRA
Your employer’s Human Resources Dept can specifically tell you the details prior to your retirement but once you retire, a package should be sent to you with all details.

As for Medicare, the link below is for a Medicare Eligibility Tool created by the Department of Health & Human services & will help you determine if your husband is eligible for Medicare; http://www.medicare.gov/MedicareEligibility/home.asp?version=default&browser=IE%7C7%7CWinXP&language=English

Sincerely,

Amir Mostafaie