COBRA unaffordable for many

Throwing more money into the defunct third party system is NOT going to solve the healthcare crisis.It is not even going to address the most immediate problems like the scenario described in the article above.
We have reached a tipping point. We have some options. 1) Ban third party insurance and restore the sacred trust between doctors and patients (it will cut down costs by around 50% immediately) 2) Permit a two /three tier healthcare combined with no-fault malpractice insurance. 3) Create a catastrophic healthcare coverage with defined basic life saving benefits and appeal to a binding arbitration panel for expensive procedures or chronic care care costing over a certain dollar amount (which can change depending on the annual budget and available dollars) . This panel needs to be composed 50% by ethicists, clergy, citizens, health care economists and 50% by medical doctors. The mix of arbiters should be such that their decisions should reflect on the local taxes collected in the community and the state. If there is no fiscal responsibility people will make irrational choices 4)Cash for service system in combination with voluntary insurance programs that can co-exist for all other care including chronic diseases. 5) Insurance companies and Big Pharma should be required by law to compete in the open market 6) Healthcare related lobbying likely to raise costs should be banned.
If we do not do this, our country cannot remain a viable player in the competitive world. Our industries are reeling under the unbridled health care costs. We owe it to our children to use this very rare opportunity to make radical and sustainable changes to healthcare policy. We actually have no choice but to make painful choices. Gone are the days of employer covered healthcare. "Health and its care" is the responsibility of the community, the state and the country..not that of employers.

But if it's a group HSA and HDHP, the employee would be paying a much lower amount to maintain the HDHP, maintaining catastrophic coverage. Furthermore, the payments can be made from HSA savings.

"According to the Commonwealth Fund, most workers who lose their jobs cannot afford to continue their healthcare coverage through COBRA."

Duh! Talk about a no-brainer. Assuming that most Americans are living from paycheck to paycheck, and are in the process of maxing out their credit cards once that paycheck disappears, of course they are not going to be able to afford a thousand dollars or more a month to continue their health insurance sans any kind of employer subsidy.
Our healthcare system today is being financed by blue smoke and mirrors, chewing gum and scotch tape.
Bringing the working-age population into Medicare, even with its 80/20 provision, will, I believe, result in physicians and hospitals realizing significantly higher revenues at significantly lower collection costs. And employers will be spared the burden of paying for their employees' health insurance. Higher taxes - sure. But we, as citizens, will realize greater benefits. Certainly more benefits than we are getting from those two failed wars that Dubyah started for no reason, or the tens of billions of dollars flowing to the US auto industry, which will be bankrupt or dissolved within 18 months regardless of any government bailout.
If there is any upside to the present economic crisis, it is that it gives the powers that be the ability to make radical changes (pardon the word 'radical')that would be verboten in quieter, more prosperous times.
Howard