[pffida]

Just so you all know that COBRA will only kick in if there is a minimum # of employees -- 20, I think. So, very small companies generally don't participate in it. Also, if you are working for a company that may not remain in business, COBRA is only available if the company still exists and has a health plan. I worked for a bank that failed and since the bank no longer existed after the failure, COBRA was gone -- even for those that were already participating in it! (They were offered FDIC health insurance, which was very expensive and not very comprehensive.)

If you work for a very small company, or a company that is at risk of survival, I vote for looking for something as soon as you can. If you work for a large or financially secure company, and can live on unemployment and pay for COBRA, then its not so important.