Employer health plans tend to be pretty strong. Strong coverage costs a lot. You probably just didn’t notice when your employer was paying for part of it. Now that you’re on your own, you can probably find a Marketplace plan for cheaper. Definitely check. But how much progress have you made toward your deductible so far?

COBRA isn’t real, like Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. I’m not saying that companies don’t have to follow the law. I’m just saying that there isn’t a basket of COBRA snakes in Washington, DC administering your health insurance like the IRS administers taxes.

Both of these tools are available to companies for less than a dollar per employee per month. They can transform someone’s exit from cold paperwork to meaningful support.  If it rips your heart out to see what’s happening in the job market, Callings and Kept are two things you can offer right now that make a real difference.