Companion to the lessons "Your Four Doors", "COBRA, Priced Honestly", and "Your Thirty-Day Coverage Plan"
Coverage end date: Notice mailed: (the two anchors every window hangs on)
The Four Doors, Priced Side by Side
Reference figures are national averages from the claims ledger; write your real numbers in the blanks.
Door
Course reference
Your number $/mo
1. COBRA (102% of the full premium)
single averaged $9,325/yr in 2025, about $793/mo at 102%; family about $2,294/mo. Election notice states your exact number
2. Marketplace at your income and metal
2026 unsubsidized benchmark silver averaged $625/mo for a 40-year-old; subsidy can bring it to $155 at $30,000 income, $515 at $62,000
3. Spouse or parent plan tier
average worker share of family coverage was $571/mo in 2025; spousal tiers usually land between single and family; under-26 parent plan required to accept you
4. Medicaid (if income is under your state's line)
no window; eligibility runs on current monthly income; the only door with no deadline
$0 if eligible ☐ applied
Pricing Sequence (one evening, days four to seven)
☐ Spouse-plan call first: 30-day window, incremental cost, in writing
☐ Marketplace screener with an income estimate built honestly, whole calendar year, net of business expenses
☐ Three results written on one page (the table above)
☐ Affordability firewall checked: an affordable employee-only offer on a spouse's plan can lock you out of subsidies even when the family tier costs far more
The Lane Decision
Lane One: income under your state's Medicaid line
Apply for Medicaid this week. It is the only door with no window, the cheapest by far, and the application is its own answer.
Lane Two: income roughly $16,000 to $62,600, no spouse plan beat the price
Enroll in the marketplace now, this session, and upload the proof of coverage loss. Pick silver if you are under 250% of poverty for the cost-sharing reductions. Do not elect COBRA yet; keep its notice in the file as the backstop.
Lane Three: over the cliff, or a spouse's affordable offer blocks subsidies
Choose deliberately between full-price marketplace, the spouse tier, and COBRA on total value, network, and deductible, not premium alone. COBRA earns its premium only when your treatment or your plan's richness justifies it.
Lane chosen: ☐ one ☐ two ☐ three Date:
Enrollment Week (days eight to fourteen)
☐ Marketplace: plan selected, loss proof uploaded same day, confirmation page screenshotted with the effective date
☐ Spouse plan: form in, email confirming per-paycheck cost and effective date saved
☐ Medicaid: application submitted, documents uploaded, confirmation number saved
☐ The file started: termination letter, COBRA election notice, enrollment confirmations, premium number, income estimate with its pieces
☐ Day-40 checkpoint calendared: enrollment done or on a known start date; COBRA window status known; income estimate still honest
The quiet product is optionality: hold the COBRA option while the marketplace runs, keep Medicaid eligibility current, reopen everything at open enrollment each November. The only unfixable mistakes are the closed window and the unmade call.