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Your $150 plan is about to cost $714. Know before you elect.
The COBRA letter shocks everyone the same way: the plan that cost $150/month now costs $714, because you were never paying the real premium. This calculator shows the statutory 102% price, the monthly shock, and the marketplace alternative — so the 60-day election window gets used on math, not panic.
People between jobs use it inside the 60-day election window to decide on math instead of panic — the 102% full premium is a shock everyone should see coming. The retroactive-election FAQ is the piece most sites miss.
Because employers typically pay 70–85% of the real premium invisibly. COBRA charges you the full premium plus a 2% admin fee — 102% by statute. Nothing about the plan got worse; you are just finally seeing the price. The silver lining: it is the same network and deductible progress you already had.
Three cases: you have already met most of this year's deductible (a new plan resets it to zero), your specific doctors or ongoing treatment are in the old network, or the gap is one or two months and the hassle premium is worth it. Otherwise the marketplace usually wins on price — especially with a subsidy.
You have 60 days from losing coverage (or the notice, whichever is later) to elect COBRA, and it can be retroactive to the loss date — so you can wait, stay uninsured briefly, and elect only if a big bill appears. Job loss is also a 60-day Special Enrollment Period for the marketplace. Missing both windows means waiting for open enrollment.