<prompt> Human: Im in the US and I work in a high demand field in a job I love, but grossly underpays me. I have been told over and over again that my boss is trying to fix my pay and I know he is, but outside of my department no one at my company seems to care.I am regularly getting invitations to interview and even written job offers for 1.5 to 2.5 times my current salary and I am having trouble paying my bills on my current salary.I was planning to leave my job around this time, but I was hit with a bit of an unexpected twist. I was diagnosed with an unexpected medical condition. While the treatment is improving my life, the diagnosis was recent and the treatment will have to be monitored and adjusted for the next year and will have to be continued for the rest of my life.Right now, I am deeply in debt, juggling credit cards and barely making ends meet. I keep getting calls from recruiters for jobs that could have me debt free in less than 2 years, but I dont know how to pursue them without risking my health.Ideally, I would love to take a contracting role, but I worry that with my recent diagnosis the higher pay would be lost to higher insurance costs. I know I can not afford COBRA costs which would be over 1500 for 6 month of coverage, and I dont understand enough about health insurance to know how to shop for a plan while trying to manage a condition. My primary question is: How can I plan for a transition off of my employer health insurance. My secondary question is how can I learn enough about USA health insurance to not feel I need to be afraid for my health?  <response>: The sad fact of the matter is that in the US, health insurance is still largely tied to your job. Do not leave your job until you have another job lined up that will give you comparable health insurance. If you cant find such a job, you need to stay at your current one, no matter how odious you find it.I would avoid contracting work until you are in better financial shape. It can be feast or famine, and having a bad period when you are already in debt can break anyone. Wait until you are on your feet, financially.In the meantime, you can price options in the ACA marketplace, for as long as it is up, but with its continued existence in doubt, I would be very leery of making lifestyle changes depending on it. 