1. Your two options
COBRA (your old plan)
Marketplace plan
Your situation
2. Total cost over the months you need coverage
| If you need | Allowed charges | COBRA total | Marketplace total | Cheaper |
|---|
Total = premiums for every month plus what you pay out of pocket. Allowed charges are insurer contract prices, not hospital list prices, and the levels are illustrations.
Prefer a CLI?
node cli.mjs compare --cobra-premium 780 --market-premium 210 --cobra-deductible 3000 --cobra-deductible-met 2400 --cobra-oop-max 8000 --cobra-oop-met 2600 --market-deductible 5500 --market-oop-max 9200 --months 6 --coverage-ended 2026-10-31 node cli.mjs compare --cobra-premium 780 --market-premium 210 --cobra-oop-max 8000 --market-oop-max 9200 --json
Get cli.mjs and engine.mjs — Node 18+, nothing to install, no network call. More: COBRA election deadlines explained.
Common questions
Is this insurance or legal advice?
No. It adds premiums and expected out-of-pocket cost for the numbers you type and computes deadlines from the dates you give. It cannot see your network, drugs, state law or plan documents. Confirm deadlines with your plan administrator or the marketplace.
Where do I get the marketplace premium?
From a healthcare.gov or state-exchange quote for the months you need. Enter the monthly premium after your premium tax credit; this tool deliberately holds no subsidy tables, so it cannot go out of date on that.
Why does COBRA sometimes win even though it costs more every month?
COBRA keeps the same plan, so the deductible and out-of-pocket maximum you already paid this plan year carry over. A marketplace plan starts both at zero. If you have already met much of the deductible and expect real care, that head start can outweigh a premium gap.
Is my data uploaded anywhere?
No. The page calculates in your browser and sends nothing. The CLI reads local arguments and makes no network call.