COBRAGuard Review
COBRAGuard is a COBRA administrator from Mission, Kansas that publishes its prices: from $0.85 per COBRA-eligible employee a month with a $29.95 minimum, with notices mailed within three days and proof of mailing.
- Company size
- Small businesses, mid-market companies, enterprises
- Pricing model
- Per employee
- Free trial
- Yes
Best for
- Small employers that want a known monthly COBRA fee before a sales call
- Public entities and hospitals that want a dedicated account specialist
- Employers that report events through a web form or an FTP data feed
Not ideal for
- Plans whose participants expect a mobile app
How we evaluated COBRAGuard
This review rests on 15 facts checked against COBRAGuard’s official pricing pages and documentation, most recently on . We did not test the product hands-on: the score and the pros and cons use only those verified facts, as our methodology explains, and third-party ratings are quoted, never scored.
Our verdict
COBRAGuard publishes its COBRA prices: COBRATrak Plus at $0.85 per COBRA-eligible employee a month with a $29.95 minimum, or Premium at $1.50 with a $39.95 minimum and no per-letter fees. It mails notices within three days with proof of mailing and remits premiums twice a month. It is less suited to buyers who want a participant mobile app or a published SOC 2 report.
Strengths
Published prices
Per-employee rates, minimum fees and per-letter fees are on the pricing page.
Evidence: Price transparency: Published
Fast notice mailing
Notices are mailed within three days, with proof of mailing on every letter.
Evidence: Key features: COBRA notices printed and mailed within three days, 100 percent proof of mailing on every letter, Premium trust account through Bank of America Treasury Services, Premium remittance twice a month, COBRA files and records kept for 7 years, 100 percent compliance guarantee
Carrier courtesy notices
Carriers receive courtesy notices of events, elections and terminations.
Evidence: Carrier eligibility updates: Yes
Premium trust account
Premiums are collected at a lockbox and held in a trust account at Bank of America.
Evidence: Key features: COBRA notices printed and mailed within three days, 100 percent proof of mailing on every letter, Premium trust account through Bank of America Treasury Services, Premium remittance twice a month, COBRA files and records kept for 7 years, 100 percent compliance guarantee
Weaknesses
Letter fees on Plus
The lower Plus rate adds a fee for each notice mailed.
Evidence: Extra costs: COBRATrak Plus per-letter fees: takeover $10, general rights notice $5, election notice $8, early termination notice $5, HIPAA certificate or notice $3, Premium Service Pack fee of $12.00 a month shown on the online quote
Weekday phone hours only
Phone support runs 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDT on weekdays.
Evidence: Support hours: Employer and participant phone support 8 a.m.-5 p.m. CDT, Monday-Friday
Price at a glance
Starting base fee
$29.95/mo
Starting price per employee
$0.85/employee/mo
Pricing model
Per employee
Price transparency
Published
Free trial
Yes
Contract term
Annual
COBRAGuard cost at 10 to 100 employees
- COBRATrak Plus$0.85/employee/mo
- COBRATrak Premium$1.50/employee/mo
| Employees | COBRATrak Plus | COBRATrak Premium |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | $8.50/mo | $15/mo |
| 25 | $21.25/mo | $37.50/mo |
| 50 | $42.50/mo | $75/mo |
| 100 | $85/mo | $150/mo |
Monthly list price before discounts, add-ons and taxes, from the published price model of each plan.
Quick answers
- How much does COBRAGuard cost?
- COBRATrak Plus costs $0.85 per COBRA-eligible employee a month with a $29.95 minimum; COBRATrak Premium costs $1.50 with a $39.95 minimum.Based on Starting base fee: $29.95/mo
- What is the difference between COBRATrak Plus and Premium?
- Premium includes the COBRA letters in its $1.50 rate; Plus charges $0.85 plus a fee per letter, such as $5 for a general rights notice and $8 for an election notice.
- Does COBRAGuard charge per COBRA notice?
- Only on COBRATrak Plus: takeovers cost $10, general rights notices $5, election notices $8, early termination notices $5 and HIPAA letters $3 each.Based on Extra costs: COBRATrak Plus per-letter fees: takeover $10, general rights notice $5, election notice $8, early termination notice $5, HIPAA certificate or notice $3, Premium Service Pack fee of $12.00 a month shown on the online quote
- How long is a COBRAGuard contract?
- Its online proposal lets you choose a term of one to five years; the annual administrative fee is waived.Based on Contract term: Annual
Coverage of core COBRA administration capabilities
Each core capability we evaluate in COBRA Administration, checked against COBRAGuard’s own documentation. “Not verified yet” means we have not confirmed it either way, not that it is missing.
9 verified of 10 core capabilities
COBRA Administration
- Qualifying event intake
- General notices
- Election notices
- Participant elections and portal
- Premium billing and collection
- Premium remittance
- Carrier eligibility updates
- Coverage period tracking
- State continuation administration · not verified yet
- Notice and payment audit trail
Specifications
Fit
- Industry focus
- Government, Healthcare
Product
- Modules
- COBRA administration service, COBRATrak employer dashboard, MyCOBRA.info participant website
COBRAGuard alternatives
BPAS80% similar
CobraHelp80% similar
HealthEquity80% similar
Implementation and support
- Support channels
- Phone, email
- Support hours
- Employer and participant phone support 8 a.m.-5 p.m. CDT, Monday-Friday
COBRAGuard: frequently asked questions
How fast does COBRAGuard mail COBRA notices?
COBRAGuard prints and mails the notices in three days or less and keeps proof of mailing for every letter.
Does COBRAGuard serve public entities?
Yes. It has a COBRA program for public entities and government organizations, with a dedicated account specialist and custom data output feeds.
Where is COBRAGuard based?
COBRAGuard is run by iTEDIUM, Inc., headquartered in Mission, Kansas; employer and participant phone support runs 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDT on weekdays.
What are the best alternatives to COBRAGuard?
In our COBRA administration ranking, the highest-scored products other than COBRAGuard are BPAS, Rippling, and HealthEquity. Compared side by side, by reason to switch: COBRAGuard alternatives.
What are the pros and cons of COBRAGuard?
Strengths documented on the vendor’s own pages: published prices, fast notice mailing, and carrier courtesy notices. It is less suited to plans whose participants expect a mobile app.
Is COBRAGuard good for small businesses?
COBRAGuard lists small businesses among the company sizes it is built for (small businesses, mid-market companies, and enterprises); for 10 employees its lowest published plan comes to $29.95 a month. Ranked for that size: COBRA administration for small businesses.
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