This time I am going to use COBRA to extend my health insurance

[undeterred]

Andy's situation has scared me into it.

I am a (single) computer tech, and have been doing contract work for the last 4 years with gaps of unemployment between assignments. I only work for contract agencies that offer insurance, but usually I have to work for more than one calendar month to be elgible.

I was laid off in April and just received my COBRA option letter. Its $300 per month for the health insurance. I have two chronic medical conditions, and the prescriptions alone would be $1000 per month without insurance- with insurance the copay is around $100. Over the last few years I have never used the COBRA option because I thought it was too expensive- I just stopped or reduced my medications so that I was only spending $150 per month.

Until now I guess I never stopped to think about what would happen if I became really sick.

$400 per month is still an awful lot to pay when you're living on unemployment compensation, but now I realize how lucky I am to have insurance at all and how vulnerable we are without it.

[progressiveboston]

1. You may qualify...

For assistance from the state unemployment for your cobra rates. Many also offer cheaper programs that might be able to help you out. Good Luck!

[undeterred]

2. thanks I'll have to check into that

Its amazing how much people are paying for insurance. I know someone who is living on social security disability, which provides her about $1300 per month to live on. Her insurance and copays are about $450 per month, so after that she is living on around $10,000 annual.

[SoCalDem]

6. My son's cobra is almost $300 a month, but he cannot be without

it, since he recentky had back surgery.. His disability checks end in a few months, and he's really distraught about how he will be able to afford the cobra.. It took so long to diagnose his problem, that his disability term will end at about the time he starts physical therapy.:(..

I am hoping that he can get an extension on the disability, or he might be forced to go back to work before he's physically ready:(

[losdiablosgato]

3. Good luck. I work contract but have benies.

I wiork for about 6k to 8k less then my friends who have no benies. BUt it is steady (been here 3 years) and I have insurance.

[LizW]

4. I've never known anyone who could afford COBRA

Usually it's just too expensive. When my husband was laid off, the COBRA coverage would have cost us $800 a month. We were able to find coverage for less than that, but only because we don't have any pre-existing conditions.

Having a medical condition makes you very vulnerable. Good luck to you.

[question everything]

5. If you do not suffer from "per existing conditions"

you may want to look at purchasing an individual policy from one of the Blues (Blue Cross Blue Shield).

In many cases, employer provided health insurance is very generous and, therefore, more expensive. You obviously do not need maternity and pediatrics coverage now and these cost money.