COBRA Calculator
| COBRA premium ↓ · months → (COBRA total) | 6 mo | 12 mo | 18 mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| $450 per month | $2,700 | $5,400 | $8,100 |
| $650 | $3,900 | $7,800 | $11,700 |
| $850 | $5,100 | $10,200 | $15,300 |
| $1,050 | $6,300 | $12,600 | $18,900 |
Enter the COBRA monthly premium your employer quoted and what a Marketplace plan would cost without subsidies. The calculator totals both over the standard 18-month continuation window and shows the month-by-month gap.
COBRA is your old employer plan at full price: you pay the entire premium yourself plus a small administrative fee, with no subsidy. The Marketplace can be subsidized on low income but means a new network, new deductible and new prior authorizations. People mid-treatment often stay on COBRA to keep their doctors; people who are healthy usually pocket the difference.
How to use
- The COBRA rate is on the election notice your employer sends - the full group premium plus the small administrative fee, stated explicitly.
- For the Marketplace column, use the sticker price of a comparable plan; the ACA subsidy calculator can then shrink that number by your income.
- The verdict updates live over 6, 12 and 18-month horizons - the typical COBRA maximum is 18 months after job loss.
Frequently asked questions
How much does COBRA cost per month?
The full group premium that your employer and you used to split, plus a small administrative fee - on a family plan that commonly lands in the hundreds to over a thousand dollars a month. The election notice must state the exact number; this calculator turns it into a horizon total.
Is COBRA cheaper than the Marketplace?
Usually not: Marketplace plans can be income-subsidized and COBRA cannot. What COBRA buys is continuity - same doctors, same approvals, deductible credit already earned. Run both numbers: if the difference is small and you are mid-treatment, continuity wins; if it is hundreds per month and you are healthy, the Marketplace wins.
Can I switch from COBRA to a Marketplace plan later?
Yes, and the timing rules are specific: leaving COBRA voluntarily does not always open a new window, but exhausting the 18 months does, as does losing it involuntarily. The clean play is often to take the Marketplace during its 60-day window after job loss instead of electing COBRA at all.
What is the 60-day rule?
After losing job-based coverage you can enroll in a Marketplace plan within 60 days - the special enrollment period. It runs whether or not you elect COBRA, so the deadline is real: decide before the window closes, not when the first COBRA bill arrives.
Who qualifies for COBRA?
Most employers with 20 or more employees must offer it after qualifying events like job loss or reduced hours; smaller firms, certain government plans and bankruptcies are exceptions. The election notice tells you definitively - and if COBRA is not offered, the Marketplace 60-day window is the fallback.