the FSA’s Conduct of Business manual, containing the rules, evidential provisions and guidance relating (in the main) to forms carrying on regulated activities under FISMA.
Insurance Encyclopedia
COBA
Acronym for coordination of benefits agreement; see coordination of benefits contractor agreement identifiers (COBA IDs).
COBC
Acronym for coordination of benefits contractor (COBC); see coordination of benefits contractor agreement identifiers (COBA IDs).
COBRA
COBRA stands for the “Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act.” It is a federal law that requires group health plans with 20 or more employees to offer a continuation of coverage to employees who leave their jobs (voluntarily or involuntarily) and to their dependents. Coverage is also available to employees whose hours are reduced to the point that they are no longer full-time and thus ineligible for group health insurance. The employee must pay the premium for the coverage and can be charged an additional 2% for administrative costs. Eighteen months is normally the maximum length of coverage but may be extended due to disability. (See ERISA, HIPPA).
COBRA Continuation Coverage
A federally-mandated requirement that states that an employer-sponsored medical care plan must provide that if, as a result of a qualifying event, any employee (or in some cases the spouse or dependent children of an employee) would lose health insurance coverage under the plan, the employee must be entitled to elect to continue his or her coverage under the plan. Qualifying events include termination of employment, divorce, death, and a dependent child ceasing to be a dependent. The name results from the fact that the program was created under the Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act. The system is designed to prevent employees who are between jobs from experiencing a lapse in coverage.
CODA
Acronym for cash or deferred arrangement. See Section 401 (k) plan.
Code creep
See: upcoding.
Code edit
Computer software function that performs online checking of CPT codes on an insurance claim to detect unbundling, splitting of codes, and other types of improper code submissions. Sometimes referred to as code screening .
Code first
Phrase used to identify the need for two ICD-9-CM diagnostic codes.
Code first (the) underlying condition
Phrase used in ICD-9-CM diagnostic coding that indicates the medical illness is the result of another underlying disease.