I'll map COBRA, private PPO, and ACA side by side so you can see which option fits your timeline, doctors, budget, and health picture. Most clients are covered the same day.
A coverage blueprint you can count on.
Licensed in 43 states + DC, working for you.
Plans matched to your health, income, and timing.
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I start with your doctors, prescriptions, health needs, budget, income, and timing. Then I compare private PPO and ACA marketplace options and help match you with the coverage that best fits your specific situation.
You have three paths off employer coverage. Most people sign the COBRA paperwork without realizing the other two even exist — and one of them is almost always cheaper.
Usually the cheapest path for healthy people. 20–50% less than COBRA for similar coverage, with nationwide PPO networks. If your health is good and your COBRA premium is north of $500/month, this is almost always the move.
Often better if your income just dropped or you have pre-existing conditions. Subsidies are based on this year's income, not last year's W-2 — so leaving a job can make ACA dramatically cheaper. Plus guaranteed coverage with no underwriting.
Sometimes the right answer is a combination. One spouse on private, one on ACA, kids on CHIP. I look at the whole household — the goal is the lowest total cost for real coverage, not selling one product.
1. COBRA is 102% of the full employer premium. The reason it feels expensive is that you're now paying both the employee and employer portions of what your job was contributing. Same insurance, but you're seeing the full sticker price for the first time. That's why a "great" $200/month plan suddenly costs $700/month the moment you leave.
2. You don't have to start COBRA to keep your doctors. Most major-carrier networks — UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna, BCBS — overlap heavily. A private PPO with one of these usually has the same doctors as your employer's plan. The right question isn't "will I lose my doctor," it's "is this specific doctor in the new network?" — a 30-second check on a call.
3. Losing employer coverage triggers a Special Enrollment Period. You have 60 days after your employer coverage ends to enroll in an ACA plan, no questions asked. Private PPOs accept new enrollments year-round regardless. The only deadline that actually matters is COBRA's election window — and you don't have to elect it to keep your other options open.
Quick call or form. I just need the date, your state, and a rough picture of your situation.
I quote your COBRA cost against every private PPO and ACA option you qualify for, side by side.
If a private or ACA plan beats COBRA on cost and network, we enroll right there. Most clients are covered the same day.
I quit my consulting job to go full-time on my own business. The HR packet said COBRA would be $640 a month and I almost just signed it. Talked to Christian instead — he showed me a private PPO with a similar network for $295, plus an ACA option that would have been even cheaper because my self-employed income would qualify for subsidies this year. We went private since I travel a lot. The whole thing took maybe 25 minutes.
Yes. Losing employer coverage is a qualifying life event for the ACA marketplace (60-day window after your coverage ends), and private PPO plans accept new enrollments year-round. You're not required to start COBRA at all — most of my clients in this situation skip it entirely once they see the comparison.
You can switch. Voluntarily ending COBRA in the middle doesn't trigger a new ACA special enrollment period in most cases, but private PPOs accept new enrollments year-round regardless. Most clients in this situation move to a private plan and start saving the difference immediately — the COBRA premium they were paying is usually 2–3x the private alternative.
Probably not. Major carriers — UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna, BCBS — have heavily overlapping provider networks. Before you switch, I'll check whether your specific doctors are in the new plan's network. It takes about 30 seconds.
Yes, significantly. ACA subsidies are based on your projected income for this year, not last year's W-2. If your earnings are going down because you left a job, you may qualify for subsidies that make ACA dramatically cheaper than it would have been at your old salary. This is one of the most common cases where ACA beats both COBRA and private — worth running the numbers either way.
Even if you've already started COBRA, you can switch. A real comparison takes fifteen minutes — and most people save the cost of a dinner out, every month, for the rest of the year.
Tell me when your coverage ends — I'll run the numbers and call you back.
I'll be in touch shortly. Need to talk right now? Call (941) 241-0210.