What is the plan administrator's role in COBRA compliance?

• A. To decide which employees are eligible for COBRA before elections.
• B. To ensure privacy laws override COBRA requirements.
• C. To provide required notices, process elections, bill and collect premiums, and ensure COBRA compliance.
• D. To guarantee automatic enrollment of all covered individuals.

Answer: (C)

The plan administrator is the one who runs COBRA on a day-to-day basis, handling the practical pieces that keep continuation coverage working. This includes sending out all required notices to qualified beneficiaries, processing their elections to continue coverage, billing and collecting the premiums, and ensuring the overall COBRA process stays in compliance with the rules and deadlines. They coordinate with the insurer or third-party administrator as needed so that coverage continues if premiums are paid on time. This role does not involve pre-determining who is eligible before an election, does not override COBRA with privacy laws, and does not involve automatic enrollment—COBRA coverage is elected, not automatically provided.