The Walkaway Number · Chapter 6 · Price the bridge before testing the exit

The Insurance Independence Calculator

Compare current coverage, COBRA, marketplace, and partner-plan paths with dated local evidence.

Output: A finite year-by-year bridge reserve, five stress cases, care-access checks, and a dated review record.

Time: About 35 minutes after the current plan and live quotes are gathered

Bridge lengthUnresolved

Employer support todayUnresolved

COBRA planning premiumUnresolved

Gross premium bridgeUnresolved

Incremental reserveUnresolved

The bridge still has an unresolved date, quote, care-fit field, sequence input, or assumption.

1. Reconcile the current plan and finite dates

Blank quote fields stay unresolved. An invented national average is cheaper to obtain and worth about what you paid for it.

Planned departure dateAge at departureMedicare eligibility or durable coverage dateCurrent employee monthly premiumFull current monthly premiumActual COBRA notice monthly amount, blank uses 102%Verified COBRA eligibility monthsPlanning premium inflation, percentHSA balance allocated to medical riskKnown coverage needsPlan documents and source dates

COBRA planning amount = full monthly premium × 1.02. Verify the actual notice and event-specific eligibility period.

2. Record three live alternatives

Marketplace A

Coverage yearRetrieval dateLocationHousehold agesProjected household incomeMonthly net premiumDeductibleOut-of-pocket maximumNetwork resultFormulary result

Marketplace B

Coverage yearRetrieval dateLocationHousehold agesProjected household incomeMonthly net premiumDeductibleOut-of-pocket maximumNetwork resultFormulary result

Partner plan

Coverage yearRetrieval dateLocationHousehold agesProjected household incomeMonthly net premiumDeductibleOut-of-pocket maximumNetwork resultFormulary result

3. Build the selected sequence

Selected post-COBRA pathCOBRA months used firstFallback path if partner coverage is lostMonthly subsidy-loss stress amountHigher inflation stress, percentEarlier departure stress, months

Bridge year	Gross premium	Premium already in burn	Incremental premium
Complete every dated quote and bridge input.

4. Stress the bridge

Lower subsidyUnresolved

Higher inflationUnresolved

Maximum out-of-pocketUnresolved

Earlier departureUnresolved

Partner-plan lossUnresolved

The bridge is finite. Keep post-Medicare costs in long-term burn instead of multiplying a temporary gap by twenty-five.

Professional-review flags

Interpretation

Cheap coverage gets expensive quickly when it excludes the care the household uses. Review this during open enrollment, after an income change, and before departure.

Completion test

Date every quote, resolve network and formulary fit, select a finite sequence, disclose premium inflation and income, and review every stress case.

Monday Move

Get the full employer premium, the COBRA notice amount, and one live local quote. Benefits portals have a habit of becoming unavailable immediately after they become interesting.

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