# § 1161. Plans must provide continuation coverage to certain individuals
**(a)** **In general** The plan sponsor of each group health plan shall provide, in accordance with this part, that each qualified beneficiary who would lose coverage under the plan as a result of a qualifying event is entitled, under the plan, to elect, within the election period, continuation coverage under the plan.
**(b)** **Exception for certain plans** Subsection (a) shall not apply to any group health plan for any calendar year if all employers maintaining such plan normally employed fewer than 20 employees on a typical business day during the preceding calendar year.
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**Source Credit**: (Pub. L. 93–406, title I, § 601, as added Pub. L. 99–272, title X, § 10002(a), Apr. 7, 1986, 100 Stat. 227; amended Pub. L. 101–239, title VII, §§ 7862(c)(1)(B), 7891(a)(1), Dec. 19, 1989, 103 Stat. 2432, 2445.)
## Editorial Notes
### Amendments
1989—Subsec. (b). struck out at end “Under regulations, rules similar to the rules of subsections (a) and (b) of (relating to employers under common control) shall apply for purposes of this subsection.”
, substituted “Internal Revenue Code of 1986” for “Internal Revenue Code of 1954”, which for purposes of codification was translated as “title 26” thus requiring no change in text.
## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
### Effective Date of 1989 Amendment
Amendment by applicable to years beginning after , see , set out as a note under , Internal Revenue Code.
Amendment by effective, except as otherwise provided, as if included in the provision of the Tax Reform Act of 1986, , to which such amendment relates, see , set out as a note under .
### Effective Date
> **“(1)** **General rule.—** The amendments made by this section [enacting this part and amending section 1132 of this title] shall apply to plan years beginning on or after July 1, 1986.
>
> **“(2)** **Special rule for collective bargaining agreements.—** In the case of a group health plan maintained pursuant to one or more collective bargaining agreements between employee representatives and one or more employers ratified before the date of the enactment of this Act [Apr. 7, 1986], the amendments made by this section shall not apply to plan years beginning before the later of—
>
> For purposes of subparagraph (A), any plan amendment made pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement relating to the plan which amends the plan solely to conform to any requirement added by this section shall not be treated as a termination of such collective bargaining agreement.”
>
> **“(A)** the date on which the last of the collective bargaining agreements relating to the plan terminates (determined without regard to any extension thereof agreed to after the date of the enactment of this Act), or
>
> **“(B)** January 1, 1987.
, , , provided that: