http://www.aarp.org/health/medicare-...ites_back.html

There are timing potholes with Cobra and Medicare.

My dad was a disabled WWII combat vet, who was told by the VA he did not need Medicare part B, so he did not sign up for it. Despite being very ill, he fortunately did not need help from part B until the last year if his life, when we found out yes he should have signed up. It could have been a financial nightmare, but we were just plain lucky that it worked out.