If you are getting your health insurance through your employer and you leave your job, whether it is voluntarily or not, you'll be offered the chance to continue your health insurance through the COBRA program. The COBRA program allows you to buy your current group insurance for up to 18 months after your employment ends.

The advantage of this is that if you or a member of your family have a pre-existing condition, that condition will still be covered. Whereas if you sign up for individual coverage the pre-existing condition will likely not be covered.

The downside is the cost. Even though you get to stay with your current plan, you now need to pay your portion and the portion that was previously paid by your employer. This can be a lot of money. But if there is a pre-existing coverage, this may still be a better deal in the long run.

Another important point about COBRA is that you can elect to sign up for coverage during an "election period" and if you sign up, it covers any bills you had since your previous coverage terminated. The election period varies, but it is typically 30 - 60 days, check with your employer to find out the details of your plan. The nice thing about this is that if you elect not to get COBRA and some health disaster strikes while you are still in election period, you can then sign up for COBRA and all your health expenses will be covered. This make for a nice buffer.