COBRA vs. the Marketplace: Don't Auto-Pilot the Expensive Choice
COBRA keeps your old plan at full freight. The marketplace usually beats it — here's the actual comparison.
COBRA lets you keep your employer plan for up to 18 months after leaving — at the full unsubsidized cost plus administration. It's continuity at a price, and most people who choose it never priced the alternative.
The real comparison
Job loss triggers a special enrollment period, and your suddenly-lower income often triggers real subsidies — a combination that routinely makes a marketplace Silver plan cost a fraction of the COBRA bill for comparable coverage.
COBRA earns its price in two situations: you're mid-treatment with providers you can't risk switching, or you've already burned through this year's deductible and starting over would cost more than the premium difference.
The decision rule
Price both within your 60-day window, count where your deductible stands in the calendar year, and check your doctors against the marketplace network. Ten minutes of comparison regularly saves hundreds a month.
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