Published datasets
State COBRA Exposure Index
A state-level measure of where losing employer health coverage hits hardest, combining layoff rate, COBRA cost as a share of median household income, and the under-65 uninsured rate for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Sources: BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, Census Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, Census American Community Survey, KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey. Refreshed annually. CC BY 4.0.
Why we publish it
There is no current public estimate of COBRA exposure anywhere. The most recent published take-up figure rests on 2017 data. Neither the Department of Labor nor CMS publishes one. We needed the number for our own work, so we built it, and we would rather it were checkable than proprietary.
Reuse it. Attribution is the only condition. If you are writing about this and want the underlying calculations, or the figures for one particular state, ask and we will send them.
Common questions
Can I reuse this data?
Yes. Everything we publish here is CC BY 4.0 — use it commercially or otherwise, as long as you credit CobraScout and link back.
How often is it updated?
Annually. BLS moved the State Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey from a monthly to an annual release in 2026, so the layoff term can only refresh once a year. Each refresh is published as a new version on Zenodo rather than replacing the old one, so a citation stays valid.
Is this an official government statistic?
No. It is our own analysis built from published federal data. CobraScout is not a government agency and is not affiliated with one. The methodology and its limitations are stated in full on the analysis page.
Can you produce a figure for my state?
Yes, and we would rather do that than have the number misquoted. Get in touch and we will send the components for any state.
Talk it through with a licensed agent
Which option is right depends on your state, your income and which doctors you need to keep. A licensed agent can walk through it with you in about eight minutes.
Free to call, no obligation, and we never ask you for payment. CobraScout is paid by the agency that answers, not by you. TTY 711.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, state layoffs and discharges, July–December 2025
- U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, 2024 (released August 2026)
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, median household income
- KFF, 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey