How long does COBRA health insurance last after losing a job, and is it actually worth using?

Lost my job-based health insurance and HR mentioned COBRA. How long does that coverage last and is it usually worth signing up for?

COBRA (in the US) lets you keep your exact same employer health plan after leaving a job, typically for up to 18 months, though certain situations can extend that further. The tradeoff is cost: your employer was likely covering a chunk of the premium while you worked there, and under COBRA you generally pay the full premium yourself plus a small administrative fee, which is often a significant jump from what was coming out of your paycheck before. Whether it's worth it depends on your situation — if you have ongoing medical needs, are mid-treatment, or your specific doctors are only in that plan's network, continuity can be worth the cost. If cost is the main issue, it's worth comparing COBRA against marketplace/exchange plans, since losing job-based coverage is a qualifying event that opens a special enrollment window, and marketplace plans (especially with subsidies, if you qualify based on income) are sometimes meaningfully cheaper than COBRA for similar coverage.