COBRA, from my understanding, doesn't give anyone a free ride. It just means that the former employee has to pay the costs themselves: COBRA does not, unlike

COBRA, from my understanding, doesn't give anyone a free ride. It just means that the former employee has to pay the costs themselves: COBRA does not, unlike other federal statutes such as the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), require the employer to pay for the cost of providing continuation coverage. Instead it allows employees and their dependents to maintain coverage at their own expense by paying the full cost of the premium the employer and the employee previously paid, plus up to a 2% administrative charge (50% for the latter 11 months under the disability extension).