Continuing ex employer plan part of cobra seems costly since we have to pay the full premium. Any alternative options?
I didn’t. But I also was in great health, had no medical needs, and a hefty savings in the event of an emergency. I ended up not needing it. It sucks that you have to play your cards differently when you have a family that depends on you or pre-existing medical conditions. And cobra is no fun.
COBRA
I used the state ACA marketplace. Got a plan comparable to the one I had, probably 30-40% cheaper than cobra.
How much deductible did you choose? How many months was the coverage?
Whatever the best plan was (I think 250 or 350 deductible?). Was covered for about 3 months, basically started the policy at the end of my previous job, and terminated it when I started my next job.