A Welcome Anticlimax

I was all set for an argument. For three months I've been more-or-less happily paying $266 for COBRA continuation insurance coverage, with the ARRA subsidy covering 65% of the cost. Then, browsing around the website for the company that administers the coverage, I see that next month my premium is going up to almost $800. Obviously a mistake -- in December legislation extended the ARRA subsidy to 15 months, and I'm only three months in -- but getting these mistakes straightened out is never easy. Are you kidding? Near as I can tell, this is a company that handles red tape for insurance companies! So I went into this loaded for bear. You know how you get? You've been over and over the argument in your head at three in the morning, getting wittier each time. (Am I really the only one who does this?) I was ready.

It doesn't help that the recent legislation has generated a lot of calls, so I get to wait on hold. Not all that long, truth be told, but still. A cheerful representative, who sounds like she can't possibly be old enough to solve my problem, finally answers. I give her the scoop, and brace myself for the inevitable hassle.

No problem, she explains cheerfully. It's not a mistake. The website doesn't show the subsidized premium, but your invoice will be correct. Then she asks if there's anything else she could help me with today.

No, I say. That will do it. Thanks.