But why would someone take a 40+% pay cut by choice? That time must be more valuable than money. There are plenty of reasons besides laziness why this might be true. 

Insurance premiums have been increasing at more than double the rate of inflation for the past 3 years. In 2026, employer group plans are expected to increase nearly 8%. 

Everywhere I went, I saw the same thing: Employees didn’t understand what they signed up for. Brokers didn’t really understand either. HR didn’t want to touch it. Claims were denied. People thought their plans sucked.

Given the significant cost of many COBRA premiums, PeopleOps teams should be prepared to answer departing employees’ questions about COBRA i