If it $600+/month than that is some CADILLAC INSURANCE for someone 19 or the young lady has used the health care services of our nation quite a bit. I can see a six month premium for a 19 year old for six months at $600+. I have never had a COBRA situation but my understanding is it is the same coverage as what you had before being laid off. The difference being there is no employer contribution. You are still in the same group coverage as before. My guess is the OP DUchebag is on the government teat and that is why it could be so high but most likely this is a total bouncy as one of the few provisions that came into effect was the 26 year old child rule.
Actually, COBRA really is that expensive. When I switched jobs a few years back, there was a 90 day wait to get insurance. I didn't really worry about it because my understanding of COBRA is that you have 6 months to opt in...so if something catastrophic happened and it was needed, I'd have opted in. But I was quoted close to
$700 a month for it, and that was nearly 10 years ago. And that was no cadillac healthcare plan. I had $1000 deductible, no prescription coverage, no co-pays at doctor's offices...pretty basic coverage.
Mr Smith's college was looking for insurance coverage about 6 years ago - at that time he and his kids were all on my family plan (thank God for insurance companies that cover step-kids, many don't!). The insurance they were looking at, I think it was BCBS, offered a family plan exactly like I stated above, $1000 deductible per person, no prescription, no copay....and the total monthly cost for family coverage was
$1200 a month.
Mr Smith's college would cover about 1/2 of that, we'd have had to pay the other half.
My employer self-insures, and is part of a PPO. Sometimes it sucks, they don't cover anything they can find a way to avoid...but it only costs me $150 a month. I would seriously keep my job just for that!!