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# Why so many people stay in a job for the insurance
- URL: https://postmarq.org/why-so-many-people-stay-in-a-job-for-the-insurance/
- Published: 2026-10-28T04:09:45.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-28T04:09:45.000Z
- Description: There's a name for it: job lock. My diabetes medicine showed me what it costs to leave, and Arizona's backup plan got smaller this year.
- Author: Dave Contreras
- Tags: Jobs and AI, Job lock, #level-2, #ai-assisted, #color-peach

*This is a developing story. It follows* [*My diabetes medicine costs $30 a month. Next month, it could be $1,069.*](https://postmarq.org/my-diabetes-medicine-costs-30-a-month-next-month-it-could-be-1-069/) *I'm the subject of this story. I'll add updates here with dates.*

There's a name for staying in a job you'd otherwise leave because you can't afford to lose the health insurance. It's called job lock. I didn't get to choose: I lost my job this month. But my own bills showed me why so many people in the Valley stay put.

## What job lock means

The U.S. Government Accountability Office puts it this way: having health coverage tied to your job "can influence workers to stay in jobs they might otherwise leave." Research suggests it hits people with health conditions hardest. No one has a firm count of how many people it affects. [GAO, Dec. 2011](https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-12-166r?ref=postmarq.org)

## What it looks like for me

I have type 2 diabetes. I was diagnosed while I had insurance through work. I take Mounjaro, a once-a-week pen, and I wear a FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus, a small sensor on my arm that tracks my blood sugar.

- **Mounjaro:** $30 a month with my insurance. Eli Lilly lists it at about $1,069 for a 28-day supply. [Lilly pricing](https://www.lillypricinginfo.com/mounjaro?ref=postmarq.org)
- **Libre 3 Plus:** Abbott says most people with commercial insurance pay $0 to $75 a month for sensors. [Abbott](https://www.freestyle.abbott/en-us/support/faq/system/cost-of-the-freestyle-libre-3-system.html?ref=postmarq.org) Without insurance, a box of two runs about $197 to $311 at major pharmacies. [SingleCare, Oct. 27, 2026](https://www.singlecare.com/prescription/freestyle-libre-3-plus-sensor?ref=postmarq.org)
- **COBRA, to keep my plan:** $1,064.91 a month for medical, per my notice. Dental and vision are separate choices.

So keeping my coverage costs about the same as the medicine alone. The difference: COBRA also covers the sensor, my doctor visits and everything else.

## My decision

I'm choosing COBRA. It keeps my plan, my doctor and my $30 copay while my dose gets settled.

Why does it cost so much? With COBRA, you can be charged the whole premium, up to 102% of what the plan costs. That includes the part an employer usually pays. [U.S. Department of Labor](https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/health-plans/cobra?ref=postmarq.org)

## Why it matters here

For people who leave a job, the main backup is a marketplace plan. In Arizona, that backup got smaller this year. On March 1, 2025, 428,026 Arizonans had active marketplace coverage. On March 1, 2026, it was 306,798, after extra federal help with premiums expired. That's about 121,000 fewer people. [Arizona Republic, via UA Center for Rural Health, June 6, 2026](https://crh.arizona.edu/news/arizonans-are-dropping-their-obamacare-insurance-why-it-matters?ref=postmarq.org)

## What we don't know yet

- How many people in the Valley are staying in a job for the insurance. Not published.
- How much of Arizona's marketplace drop is in Maricopa County. I haven't found it yet.
- What my COBRA rate will be next year. It can change once a year, with 30 days' notice.

## What you can do

- **If you're losing coverage:** federal rules give you at least 60 days to choose COBRA, counted from your notice date or the day your coverage ends, whichever is later. After you choose it, you get at least 45 days to make the first payment. [DOL guide](https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ebsa/about-ebsa/our-activities/resource-center/publications/an-employees-guide-to-health-benefits-under-cobra.pdf?ref=postmarq.org)
- **If your paperwork shows two deadlines** (mine did), ask in writing which one applies.
- **If COBRA costs too much:** check AHCCCS at [Health-e-Arizona Plus](https://www.healthearizonaplus.gov/?ref=postmarq.org) (1-855-432-7587) and marketplace plans at [HealthCare.gov](https://www.healthcare.gov/?ref=postmarq.org) (1-800-318-2596). Losing job coverage usually opens a 60-day window to sign up.

## Sources

1. [GAO-12-166R, Health Care Coverage: Job Lock and the Potential Impact of the ACA](https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-12-166r?ref=postmarq.org) (Dec. 15, 2011)
2. [Eli Lilly, Mounjaro pricing](https://www.lillypricinginfo.com/mounjaro?ref=postmarq.org)
3. [Abbott, cost of the FreeStyle Libre 3 system](https://www.freestyle.abbott/en-us/support/faq/system/cost-of-the-freestyle-libre-3-system.html?ref=postmarq.org)
4. [SingleCare, FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus prices](https://www.singlecare.com/prescription/freestyle-libre-3-plus-sensor?ref=postmarq.org) (updated Oct. 27, 2026)
5. [U.S. Department of Labor, Continuation of Health Coverage (COBRA)](https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/health-plans/cobra?ref=postmarq.org)
6. [U.S. Department of Labor, An Employee's Guide to Health Benefits Under COBRA](https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ebsa/about-ebsa/our-activities/resource-center/publications/an-employees-guide-to-health-benefits-under-cobra.pdf?ref=postmarq.org) (Sept. 2022)
7. [Arizona Republic via UA Center for Rural Health, Arizonans are dropping their Obamacare insurance](https://crh.arizona.edu/news/arizonans-are-dropping-their-obamacare-insurance-why-it-matters?ref=postmarq.org) (June 6, 2026)