Health insurance gap after a layoff after 13 years as a teaching assistant

I have 13 weeks left on my current insurance and I am comparing options. The COBRA notice arrived with a very high price. What did you choose and how was the process?

Losing job-based coverage usually opens a special enrolment window, so check the deadline on the official marketplace site. I missed it by a day once and regretted it.

A free navigator at a community health centre walked me through my options. It took an hour and saved me a lot of guessing.