I do not know how I'd make my major decisions were it not for commenters on this blog. You guys are fantastic!
Summary: I am in the process of leaving my full time job to strike it out on my own. A big deal in this process is, of course, insurance. I talked to insurance agents, researched COBRA, and stuck it all on this blog.
Christine, a fellow personal finance blogger whose blog is called Northern Cheapskate, weighed in:
"Don't skimp on the insurance! I would do the COBRA option until you have your own health coverage. All it takes is one appendicitis attack to set you back years! Yes, spending the money for the insurance is a bit of gamble, but to me, the peace of mind is worth it."
Carl, a business blogger whose blog is called The Takeaway, also had the great idea of using some local resources:
"Check into the local chamber of commerce. Maybe you can get a better deal through there. And aren't you the type of person that Dirigo is supposed to benefit?"
The Dirigo Health program in Maine is exactly for people like me. Problem is they've frozen enrollments, indefinitely.
It was Jeremy, a food blogger that happens to be a doctor, who sealed the deal for me:
"Probably the most important reason to sign up for COBRA (painful as the costs might be) is to avoid the pre-existing condition clause of most commercial insurances. If you are without insurance for >90 days, your new insurance can and will deny, well, pretty much anything. The COBRA counts as continuing insurance, so you will avoid this."
My meeting with HR is Friday and, barring anything unexpected at this meeting, I will probably enroll in COBRA, at least for the moment. Thanks to everyone for commenting and those who also wrote me emails or talked to me about what they thought in person. Because of you, I'm healthier and for that, I'm grateful!
Tomorrow's Post: How To Get Me To Do You A Favor (this was spawned by a "Dear Sir" email, stay tuned!)