How to use COBRA to continue your employer-sponsored healthcare benefits after leaving a job

The Kenza Pod

"When I’m talking to someone who has just left their job and is wondering what they should do for coverage, the first thing I do is compare their current employer-sponsored healthcare plan with what they can buy on the open market. Nine out of ten times, the COBRA option is about the same cost or sometimes less expensive. It’s also important to keep in mind that the group plan that your company provides is always going to be better than an individual plan—they will have a larger network and more benefits than an individual can get. So it’s definitely worth it to look into COBRA as an option while you have the chance."

This episode is for you if:

• You’re unfamiliar with COBRA and how it can help you and your family keep your current healthcare benefits for 18+ months
• You are struggling with the decision to leap into freelancing because your current job offers health coverage and you can’t afford it lose it
• You’re curious if you're eligible for COBRA and the costs associated with it

If you’re feeling held back from going out on your own as a freelancer because your current job provides health coverage for your family, then this is the episode for you!

COBRA is a federal law that gives workers and their families the right to choose to continue group health benefits provided by their group health plan for limited periods of time under certain circumstances. Oftentimes (as you’ll learn in this episode), this is the best and most cost-effective way to keep your health insurance after leaving a job.

Join us and insurance expert, Octavio Jara from Potlache Benefits, to learn how COBRA works, stipulations and timing to be aware of, and how it can help your family so that you can finally make the leap into freelancing!

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Links Mentioned + Other Helpful Resources

Potlache Benefits website - Octavio's Business

About Our Guest

Like many in the insurance business, Octavio was shanghaied into the business back in 1997 as an account manager for Shargel & Co. It was there he found himself dealing with employers that didn’t understand the coverage they provided to their employees. He learned the importance of giving a personal touch to small businesses and individuals who needed qualified advice.

Today, Octavio has a passion for helping individuals and small companies to navigate our complicated healthcare system and breaks it down into layman terms….Or has he puts it, “Potlache Benefits make insurance fun again.” He recently moved to the San Diego area with his wife and is looking to bring some silicon valley to the area.