If you've just left a job in Texas, your former employer is required to send you a COBRA election letter within 14 days. It tells you the price to keep your existing health plan — and most people open it, see a $700–$1,500/month number, and panic.
What COBRA actually is
COBRA isn't a different plan. It's the same plan you had through work, but now you pay 100% of the premium (instead of just the employee share) plus a 2% admin fee. That's why the price feels brutal — your employer was paying the bulk of it.
Why most Texans should skip it
Losing job-based coverage triggers a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) — you can buy an individual marketplace plan within 60 days. Two things almost always make that cheaper: (1) lower household income from the job loss often qualifies you for premium tax credits, and (2) marketplace plans in your ZIP may have similar networks for half the premium.
When COBRA still wins
- You're mid-treatment with a specialist your marketplace network won't include.
- You only need 1–2 months of coverage and the new job's plan starts immediately.
- Your COBRA premium is being subsidized by your former employer (rare, but it happens).