Your pay statement shows what you contribute toward health coverage. That amount may be only part of the plan’s premium. When reviewing COBRA costs after a Philadelphia delivery job, obtain the continuation quote rather than carrying the old payroll deduction into your budget.
This guide concerns the premium comparison. It does not establish eligibility, recommend an insurance option or describe EPIQ benefits. A covered plan, a qualifying event causing loss of coverage and qualified-beneficiary status must be assessed for the actual situation.
Price the full continuation premium
The CMS May 2026 COBRA job aid explains that an employer may decide whether to contribute to continuation premiums, leaving the consumer responsible for the entire amount. It describes the usual 102-percent premium limit and special circumstances with a different limit. Those general rules do not tell you what a particular plan will charge.
The Department of Labor’s worker FAQ explains that the total premium includes the former employee share and the employer’s former contribution, plus the described administrative amount. It also notes that some employers may agree to subsidize coverage, such as through a severance arrangement.
Ask for the amount that applies to the coverage you are considering and the period it covers. If employer assistance is stated, obtain its amount, duration and conditions. Do not assume that a former contribution continues after the coverage transition.
Follow a fictional premium calculation
Suppose a fictional monthly premium consists of a $110 employee contribution and a $365 employer contribution. Together they total $475. For this illustration, assume a standard two-percent administrative charge, no employer subsidy and no extension or other adjustment affecting the amount.
Two percent of $475 is $9.50. Adding that to $475 gives $484.50. The former $110 payroll contribution would not represent the continuation premium under these assumptions.
The amounts and charge assumptions are fictional. Actual eligibility, administrative charges and special rules still need assessment. Use the amount in your continuation materials and ask about any discrepancy.
Check whether assistance changes over time
If an employer offers to pay part of the cost for a limited period, ask what the worker would pay during that period and afterward. Record the end date of the assistance with the later premium explanation. A temporary subsidy should not silently become a permanent entry in a transition budget.
If the explanation says only “health coverage assistance,” ask what it means in practice. Identify who makes the payment and which charge it addresses. Keep the actual agreement or plan explanation rather than relying on the phrase alone.
Cost is also separate from the steps needed to elect and maintain coverage. Read the actual notices and obtain timely guidance about election, payment and other applicable requirements. This calculation is not a filing or payment-deadline guide.
Compare like costs without treating them as the whole decision
When you compare pay and benefit costs, identify whether a figure is an employee contribution, a full continuation premium or a temporarily subsidized charge. Do not compare the old payroll entry with another option’s full premium as if both describe the same obligation.
Premium cost alone cannot establish which coverage is suitable. Use the relevant plan information and appropriate benefits assistance to consider your actual options. This guide does not evaluate a provider network, individual medical care or eligibility for another coverage program.
Keep the next employer’s terms separate
If you are changing jobs, check the conditions of a new delivery-job offer before relying on a proposed start date. Confirm any new health-benefit eligibility and coverage dates through that employer’s actual materials. An offer date does not by itself answer when coverage begins.
The Philadelphia delivery-job guides cover surrounding transition questions. Retain the continuation quote and dated subsidy terms so you can update the budget if the assistance ends or the plan issues a different charge.