Poisoned Pt. 2- COBRA Venom

I feel like hell, but I have no sick leave and can't afford to miss anymore time, so I'm back in my cell.
That's OK, because I hope I'm going to be starting my new job as an A/V tech soon and it'll pay a lot more...finally get out of debt, maybe buy a new used car. I have some cash from my late uncle, and combined with an actual 'adult' salary, I might be able to afford a vehicle that doesn't run on an external combustion engine. Of course, I'll be travelling a lot , so I'll need to get a laptop too-

Oh hey, here's a call from my new employer. I'd better return that call.

Alright! There's a position they want to offer me! Hope's up!

Um, hmmm...
*droop*
I see...
*wither*
Is insurance included?
*wilt*

It seems they can't exactly give me the job or the salary I applied for, but I can work for them as a contractor doing semi-skilled manual labor ( soldering, laying cable etc) for one dollar more per hour than I currently make doing semi-skilled paperwork.
One dollar? I didn't think I'd get what I asked for, but one dollar is pretty discouraging. I don't have any certification or degrees or anything, but I thought that twenty years of experience would qualify me for more than grunt work at sustenance wages.

I won't get the nice travel perks and the bonuses that came with the position I wanted, but on the other hand , I won't be living in hotels either.
Well, OK. That's not so bad, is it?

It is bad. There's no health insurance - after 90 days, I may be hired as an employee and given benefits, but there's no guarantee of that.
Last year, I spent an uninsured week in hospital, and nothing short of a lottery jackpot can fix that mess, so health insurance is a must-have item.
I called our company Healthcare Provider and was told I could use the handy Consolidated Omnibus Reconcilliation Act ( COBRA) to continue coverage for up to 18 months.
Well, OK. That's not so bad, is it?

It is bad. The payments are $350 a month, or $4,200 a year, which, despite the COBRA site's claim to the contrary , is more than the cost of individual insurance. I can't afford individual insurance, so I know I can't afford COBRA, even if I am earning a whopping 13 bucks an hour.

$12/hr with insurance is better than $13/hr without, but it's still absurd to think that an adult can live in America on less than $500 a week.
But many people do it.

Rent= $ 7,200
Health= $4,200
Taxes= $6,000

From $27 K, this leaves less than $10,000 a year to pay for everything that isn't rent, insurance and taxes.

Oh, and since I am to be a contractor, I will have to provide my own tools, which I do not currently own , an initial outlay of $500 or more.
And I need a reliable vehicle. If I use my car money to buy tools, I will have less than two grand with which to buy a car. That's a tough price range.

All my options suck, but at least I have options.

I could drink myself to death for about $100 and be done with it, but I doubt that I will.
In fact, that's not even an option.

I don't know what I'll do, but it's not worth killing myself over.

Damn. I really wanted that job. If I hadn't had so many medical problems in the recent past, I'd just chuck the insurance and switch jobs, hoping to get hired on permanently; but at this stage I don't know if I'm willing to make that leap...90 days to possible hire, then another 90 days to insurance - 6 months without insurance, minimum.

I might still do it. I have until Monday to decide.