Is he eligible to continue with COBRA on the old insurance then switch in Jan? Would AKF be able to help with the COBRA premium?
No, COBRA is out of the question. COBRA is very very expensive (okay, unaffordable) and I believe it would only apply in a case where the employee has been laid off (which has happened to the both of twice before). Since his new employer bought his old employer's company, in other words it was not a merger, he is considered now to be a "new hire". He has to start all over again. He's just lucky to still have a job. Even his former manager had to requalify. We realize how fortunate we are to have insurance, it's just maddening how much the cost of it has increased while coverage has decreased.