Comments on: NPR: Your Headline Offends https://gregladen.com/blog/2012/07/11/new-york-times-your-headline-offends/ Thu, 12 Jul 2012 23:20:11 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.6 By: Phil https://gregladen.com/blog/2012/07/11/new-york-times-your-headline-offends/#comment-493735 Thu, 12 Jul 2012 23:20:11 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/?p=12754#comment-493735 COBRA can be a lifesaver if you can afford it, but I would guess that substantial fraction of those in a position to need it can’t. Going on COBRA will almost always be associated with an expensive life transition: losing a job, moving, losing a spouse, etc. My wife had a pre-existing condition, and so when we were facing a substantial gap in her coverage it was critical we maintain it somehow…at the same time we’d gone from two incomes to one. We ultimately wound up borrowing $1000 from her parents, but not everyone has that option and not everyone has the security we did of knowing that the gap was likely finite.

]]> By: Greg Laden https://gregladen.com/blog/2012/07/11/new-york-times-your-headline-offends/#comment-493734 Wed, 11 Jul 2012 22:04:10 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/?p=12754#comment-493734 That just seems wrong!

]]> By: Calli Arcale https://gregladen.com/blog/2012/07/11/new-york-times-your-headline-offends/#comment-493733 Wed, 11 Jul 2012 20:25:11 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/?p=12754#comment-493733 My husband was laid off last year, and we decided to take the COBRA coverage instead of switching over to me, since he got a better rate. What we didn’t know is that your employer’s contribution to COBRA is taxable income. And since you’re getting it *after* your paychecks ended, they’re not sending tax off to the IRS for it. Last April was rather unpleasant because of that.

]]> By: Greg Laden https://gregladen.com/blog/2012/07/11/new-york-times-your-headline-offends/#comment-493732 Wed, 11 Jul 2012 19:08:49 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/?p=12754#comment-493732 I’ve been in the situation of needing cobra coverage and simply could not afford it. It is not an option if one does not have several hundred dollars a month. But yes, if one can get it, one should. Probably a lot of people who can afford it don’t bother with it. That drives up costs. Which is why mandated coverage woudl be good.

Hey, we just invented Obamacare!

]]> By: Jay https://gregladen.com/blog/2012/07/11/new-york-times-your-headline-offends/#comment-493731 Wed, 11 Jul 2012 18:33:36 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/?p=12754#comment-493731 I sympathize with your friend’s plight. Hopefully a take away message for others will be to ALWAYS take cobra coverage when leaving a job. Yes, it is expensive, however the alternative can be much more expensive and worse. I know of several friends who have declined Cobra coverage and then experienced serious injuries with devastating long term consequences!
Thanks,
Greg

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