COBRA for Valentine's Day

It's a pretty bad gift

I was laid off in January 2025. I’m about to sign up for COBRA and, as many of you might already know, it’s quite horrifying to see my insurance premium future jump from $150 a month to $1,000 a month. For those who don’t know, COBRA allows you to continue your previous employer’s healthcare insurance coverage temporarily by paying the full premium yourself.

It’s presented like a gift (“look you can keep your insurance!”) but it’s really quite dangerous when you see the cost. For those of you whispering, “Ian just jump on a marketplace healthcare plan!” first of all, no need to yell. Secondly, I’m hoping to get surgery soon and that, coupled with taking a recurring specialty medication, COBRA, as insidious as it is, is safer for me. Happy Valentine’s Day!

This illustration above is drawn by Nathan Place (@nathplac) who has his own excellent Instagram comic strip, “Golthar, Terror of the Deep”