[checkcircuits]

If I didn't need healthcare I wouldn't worry. COBRA will drain my emergency fund twice as fast as if I didn't need it. Moreover, I grew up poor. I will not go back. I've come too far to let some silver spoon patagonia wearing pricks take my livelihood from me.

[JamesSwift]

In case you arent aware, you are able to enroll in COBRA retroactively. Meaning you dont need to be enrolled at the point that you need it. It makes sense to not enroll unless needed and save that expenditure, but keep in mind that I think you need to pay the previous premiums in the case you do elect to enroll (i.e. if you enroll in month 2 you need to also pay month 1 premium when you enroll).

[mellinoe]

This is true, but you do have to enroll by day 60 as far as I know. It’s also a royal pain to get hospitals to readjust billing if you retroactively purchase COBRA coverage after receiving care.

[JamesSwift]

Ive never actually used it so thats good to know.

[nsxwolf]

Another random fairly unknown thing about COBRA - it only exists as long as the group exists. If your company goes out of business and its group plan is dissolved, COBRA goes poof.

I learned this because it almost happened to me. I learned about it after a lot of phone calls to the insurance company piecing together this rarely talked about possibility.

[coredog64]

AIUI, the hack is to enroll immediately but not pay. If you don’t need it, you can (usually) get the COBRA provider to leave nonpayment off your credit report with a simple “You never sent me a bill”. If you do need it, well, you’re really going to need it because you’re going to have to pay the premiums plus whatever your co-insurance is.

[lowercased]

Look at ACA plan if you're laid off. Will be based on income, and you'd have no income. Likely a bit more complicated than that, but investigate it.

[kcplate]

It’s based on the previous year’s income I believe like most US assistance programs.

Generally if you want gov assistance in the US, you pretty much need to be poor for a full calendar year, plus about 4 months.

[sgerenser]

No, you can put down whatever you expect your income to be and receive subsidies based on that. If you end up making more than you expect that year (good problem to have!) you'll have to repay some or all of the subsidies on your tax return.

[Gortal278]

It is based off current income, I did it when I was laid off in 2020.

[dkjaudyeqooe]

You just need a basis for proving your current or expected income.

Also, in CA, you can make an "urgent" application and be enrolled within 2 days. I requires some pressing medical problem, but that doesn't have to be life or death.

[dkjaudyeqooe]

> Likely a bit more complicated than that

It's really not. Also no asset test so you can have a nice house and $100,000 and you still qualify as if you were utterly broke.

[freediverx]

ACA was useless when I was unemployed years ago.

[dangwhy]

you get on obamacare under job loss exception. Thats what i did, insurance isn't great but its something.