The weird thing is COBRA isn't "super-expensive" - it's what the cost is. Just, in most cases, an employer is picking up some, most or all of the cost, so empl

The weird thing is COBRA isn't "super-expensive" - it's what the cost is. Just, in most cases, an employer is picking up some, most or all of the cost, so employees don't see it. This is what's truly hosed up about US-based health insurance/services. People are so divorced from the reality when things are 'good' that the horribleness of it is exposed only when you can least deal with it. Everyone should be required to buy their own insurance, with no employer interference at all. We'd see massive shift in peoples' attitudes, and probably a bigger shift to single-payer, quickly. I'm self-employed and have had to deal with the expense of health insurance head-on for years. I was happy when we got 'high-deductible' HSA options, as it reduced monthly expense. ACA/Obamacare has more than doubled our monthly premiums in just 3 years, and I still can't afford to get sick at all without incurring hundreds or thousands of dollars in medical bills. :(