FWIW: yes it sucks, but in this instance you are allowed to retroactively purchase cobra insurance for several months after leaving a job. This means you get th

FWIW: yes it sucks, but in this instance you are allowed to retroactively purchase cobra insurance for several months after leaving a job. This means you get the same discounted rate that your company pays for their insurance. So OP had about 3 months to purchase this, even if someone got sick or hurt before he purchased it, OP was covered in this specific instance. You can continue to purchase this for up to 18 months.