Most group health plans have COBRA continuation option, which means you can stay on the same plan for 18 to 36 months. If you haven't found work during that per

Most group health plans have COBRA continuation option, which means you can stay on the same plan for 18 to 36 months. If you haven't found work during that period, you'll likely qualify for one of the subsidized care packages. The catch of course is that COBRA premiums have to be paid out of pocket (or, given some foresight, HSA savings plan) and for a family plan they can be pretty costly (my last COBRA plan had $1600/month price tag). That said, if you had a well paid hi-tech job in a major company, you usually have some savings that can sustain this coverage for at least a several months until you find the next job. So the situation is not exactly like you lose access to care the moment you lose a job. There could be exceptional situation where you for some reason have no savings but your past income does not qualify you for subsidized plans, and in that case it can be tough, but it's not the usual case.