Medicare and COBRA
So the world has adjusted slightly and Medicare and You is incomplete on this topic. The employers can discontinue your right to COBRA when you turn 65. The important thing is to check with the employer to see if your family can remain on COBRA, after you become Medicare-eligible.
COBRA will work, but not forever. Medicare and You is correct in that COBRA doesn’t count as “health insurance.” BUT, you can have an 8-month period “without” health insurance according to Medicare. SO, when you add up the complicated moving parts, can it be that you can use COBRA for 7 months, and then enroll in Medicare? Yes. The single, unlikely caveat: you need to make sure that your prescription benefits count as Creditable Coverage, or else you would face the Part D Late Enrollment Penalty.
Mishandle these details? Late enrollment penalties and delays in getting Medicare coverage await you.