COBRA is the coverage you already know, at the price your employer was hiding from you. That sentence explains most of the decision.
COBRA
Continuation of your former employer's group plan, now paid entirely by you.
What works
Identical plan — same network, same doctors, same benefits, no disruption
Deductible and out-of-pocket amounts you already paid this year carry over
Guaranteed — no health questions, no underwriting
Any treatment already in progress continues uninterrupted
What does not
You now pay the entire premium plus a 2% administrative fee
For a family this often lands between $1,400 and $2,000+ a month
Time-limited — typically 18 months, then you need something else anyway
You are paying group rates that were never priced for an individual buyer
Private PPO
Best Value
Your own policy, underwritten on you rather than a group.
What works
Underwritten rates — a healthy applicant often pays far less
Broad nationwide PPO networks instead of a narrow local HMO
Deductibles as low as $0, and low or $0 copays on routine visits
Apply any day of the year, not just during a six-week window
What does not
New plan means a new deductible — money you already spent this year resets
Your current doctors need checking against the new network before you switch
Underwritten, so a significant condition may price it up or rule it out
The Verdict
So which one should you actually pick?
If you are mid-treatment, have already met a large deductible this year, or have a condition underwriting would penalize, keep COBRA and do not let anyone talk you out of it. If you are healthy, early in the plan year, and staring at a $1,600 monthly invoice to continue coverage you barely used, a private PPO usually costs a fraction of that.
When the other option wins
Keep COBRA if you are in active treatment, have already met most of your deductible, or are within a few months of Medicare eligibility.
Not sure which side you are on? One licensed advisor will tell you plainly, including when the alternative is the better fit.
When you leave a job, COBRA lets you keep the exact same coverage — but you now pay the whole premium your employer used to share, plus an admin fee.
You have 60 days to elect it, and coverage is retroactive. That gives you time to compare a private PPO before committing to eighteen months of full-price premiums.
Ask HR for your exact COBRA premium in writing
Note any deductible you have already met this year
Compare before the 60-day election window closes
Member Stories
What the call usually sounds like.
5.0
“I was paying $690 a month for a plan with a $7,000 deductible. The advisor found a PPO my cardiologist already takes, and I stopped dreading the renewal letter.”
Self-employed contractor, 47 · Texas
5.0
“COBRA wanted $1,180 a month for the two of us. The call took twenty minutes and I understood my options for the first time in years.”
Recently laid off, 52 · Ohio
5.0
“He told me my income meant a subsidized Marketplace plan would beat anything he could sell me. I did not expect that from a phone call about insurance.”
Part-time seasonal worker, 34 · Oregon
5.0
“I was paying $690 a month for a plan with a $7,000 deductible. The advisor found a PPO my cardiologist already takes, and I stopped dreading the renewal letter.”
Self-employed contractor, 47 · Texas
5.0
“COBRA wanted $1,180 a month for the two of us. The call took twenty minutes and I understood my options for the first time in years.”
Recently laid off, 52 · Ohio
5.0
“He told me my income meant a subsidized Marketplace plan would beat anything he could sell me. I did not expect that from a phone call about insurance.”
Part-time seasonal worker, 34 · Oregon
5.0
“Three states in eighteen months on travel contracts. The thing I needed was a network that did not end at the county line, and that is what we talked about.”
Travel nurse, 31 · Arizona
5.0
“I run a four-person shop. We went through what a group plan would cost versus individual coverage, and he was straight that the group route made no sense at our size.”
Small business owner, 44 · North Carolina
5.0
“Retired at 61 and the gap to Medicare looked like the most expensive four years of my life. It is still not cheap, but it is roughly half what I had budgeted.”
Early retiree, 61 · Florida
5.0
“Nobody asked for my Social Security number or my income. Four questions, then a real person called. That alone put me at ease.”
Rideshare driver, 29 · Nevada
5.0
“My wife has a thyroid condition, so I assumed underwritten meant declined. The advisor explained what carriers actually do with that, and we went in with our eyes open.”
Owner-operator, 50 · Tennessee
5.0
“I called in March after leaving my job. I had no idea you could start coverage outside open enrollment until somebody said it plainly.”
Marketing consultant, 38 · Illinois
5.0
“Two kids, and our old plan meant $50 every time one of them had an ear infection. Low copays were the whole point for us.”
Family of four, 41 · Georgia
5.0
“He walked me through the out-of-pocket maximum line by line. That number was the one I had never understood, and it is the one that actually matters.”
Restaurant manager, 36 · Colorado
5.0
“I said I wanted to think about it. There was no second call, no email campaign, nothing. I rang them back a fortnight later myself.”
Framing contractor, 45 · Idaho
5.0
“I was paying $690 a month for a plan with a $7,000 deductible. The advisor found a PPO my cardiologist already takes, and I stopped dreading the renewal letter.”
Self-employed contractor, 47 · Texas
5.0
“COBRA wanted $1,180 a month for the two of us. The call took twenty minutes and I understood my options for the first time in years.”
Recently laid off, 52 · Ohio
5.0
“He told me my income meant a subsidized Marketplace plan would beat anything he could sell me. I did not expect that from a phone call about insurance.”
Part-time seasonal worker, 34 · Oregon
5.0
“Three states in eighteen months on travel contracts. The thing I needed was a network that did not end at the county line, and that is what we talked about.”
Travel nurse, 31 · Arizona
5.0
“I run a four-person shop. We went through what a group plan would cost versus individual coverage, and he was straight that the group route made no sense at our size.”
Small business owner, 44 · North Carolina
5.0
“Retired at 61 and the gap to Medicare looked like the most expensive four years of my life. It is still not cheap, but it is roughly half what I had budgeted.”
Early retiree, 61 · Florida
5.0
“Nobody asked for my Social Security number or my income. Four questions, then a real person called. That alone put me at ease.”
Rideshare driver, 29 · Nevada
5.0
“My wife has a thyroid condition, so I assumed underwritten meant declined. The advisor explained what carriers actually do with that, and we went in with our eyes open.”
Owner-operator, 50 · Tennessee
5.0
“I called in March after leaving my job. I had no idea you could start coverage outside open enrollment until somebody said it plainly.”
Marketing consultant, 38 · Illinois
5.0
“Two kids, and our old plan meant $50 every time one of them had an ear infection. Low copays were the whole point for us.”
Family of four, 41 · Georgia
5.0
“He walked me through the out-of-pocket maximum line by line. That number was the one I had never understood, and it is the one that actually matters.”
Restaurant manager, 36 · Colorado
5.0
“I said I wanted to think about it. There was no second call, no email campaign, nothing. I rang them back a fortnight later myself.”
Framing contractor, 45 · Idaho
How It Works
Three steps, and you are in control of all three.
01
02
03
Step one · about 30 seconds
Four quick answers. No SSN, no date of birth.
State only, never your ZIP. Your details go to one licensed advisor and nobody else.
Your free review
Household
1234+
Pre-existing conditions
YesNo
When
Now30 daysComparing
Your Move
Find out which side of this you actually fall on.
Four questions, then one licensed advisor calls you back. If the alternative on this page is the better fit for your household, they will tell you that.
