Keeping COBRA as a dependent when the primary account hold drops coverage

My wife and I elected COBRA when she was laid off in October – she is the subscriber/primary account holder, and I am a dependent on the plan. She has a new job starting in mid December, and we are both eligible for employer sponsored coverage that would start on Feb 1st.

The COBRA coverage is more cost effective for me because a provider I see regularly is in-network. So the best case scenario is that I keep my existing COBRA coverage for the full 18 months while she uses her new employer's health insurance.

Is that possible? For the dependent to keep coverage while the subscriber/primary account holder drops coverage?

I called the number on our COBRA paperwork and they said we could request that I become the primary account holder, which would allow me to keep the plan while my wife drops the coverage, but that they can't guarantee that the request will be granted. Not sure what this is about.

Does anyone have experience with this?

submitted by /u/gbcello
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