So part of me wants to just dump the COBRA and not have any insurance at all
I'm going through a nightmare with (lack of) health insurance now, and my two cents would be to keep the COBRA. If your insurance lapses and you end up trying to get individual coverage (if you end up self-employed, or if your new job doesn't offer adequate insurance), you can be denied for any preexisting conditions -- seriously, anything. (There are I think five states that don't allow individual underwriting; if you live in one of them, this may not apply.)
So it's not just the short-term risk of something happening while you're uninsured, it's that if you fall out of the nest (the magical land of People Who Have Health Insurance), you may not be able to get back.
There are insurance agents who do health insurance. You could talk with someone about your options -- maybe you could get an individual policy that would cost a lot less than COBRA but still cover the essentials. But I would advise not letting coverage lapse entirely.
no subject
I'm going through a nightmare with (lack of) health insurance now, and my two cents would be to keep the COBRA. If your insurance lapses and you end up trying to get individual coverage (if you end up self-employed, or if your new job doesn't offer adequate insurance), you can be denied for any preexisting conditions -- seriously, anything. (There are I think five states that don't allow individual underwriting; if you live in one of them, this may not apply.)
So it's not just the short-term risk of something happening while you're uninsured, it's that if you fall out of the nest (the magical land of People Who Have Health Insurance), you may not be able to get back.
There are insurance agents who do health insurance. You could talk with someone about your options -- maybe you could get an individual policy that would cost a lot less than COBRA but still cover the essentials. But I would advise not letting coverage lapse entirely.