I've Got A Bad Feeling About This

Changing jobs is never easy. I don’t care whether you previously worked for The Empire, it isn’t an easy decision. Can you imagine coming up in the Imperial ranks and getting your first deployment orders?

“Gary, congratulations, you’re going to be stationed on the Death Star. Isn’t that awesome?”

“Gee, I don’t know. Frank was on the first one for a month and it blew up.”

“Yeah, but that’s all been fixed. No more exhaust port that’s two meters wide. You’ll be safe.”

“Well, that’s good. Then the Rebels can’t find a way in and blow it up. It’s all solid.”
“Well, not quite. There’s a lot of exterior structure that has to be put on the thing, but it’s completely safe for the time being.”

“Wait, you mean there’s big holes in the thing?”

“Yes, but it’s shielded. There’s this big moon and it has a shield generator on it. It will protect you for the two months it’s going to take to get the outside done.”
“Yeah, but could that shield fail?”

“What? No! Well, there is a small chance that the local natives will get a little antsy and attack, us but they don’t have any real weapons.”

“Could the Rebels join up with them and blow up the shield generator?"

“I don’t want to say, no. I mean the last time someone guaranteed victory was Moff Tarkin and well… Let’s just say it was a beautiful… closed casket… service.”

“I quit.“

I’m not equating my old job to working on the Death Star. I’m comparing, rather poorly I might add, the situation of working in an environment where there is a significant window for something to go wrong with the second Death Star. [crickets]

Still not getting it?

OK, from the day I started until the first of March, I have no medical benefits. Now, I could take Cobra for that time being but that would be a two month prepay of benefits, plus 20% more on any services I need. In March, I would end up having double coverage that would make Hines Ward ineffective. Granted, it’s a look back process. I would have to decide by 45 days after I was last covered, which will be March 1st. I would have to pay by February 20th. So, you’re betting against yourself.

But in the world of the Ewoks and the Empire, I’d take that bet. Since January 10th, my kid has had the stomach flu twice, had a double ear infection and pink eye, been to the doctors twice, and been on antibiotics. She hasn’t been to the doctors for a few months.

It’s Murphy’s Law or a band of Rebels with a bunch of teddy bears taking down your shield generator so that the invasion can commence, blowing up Death Star 2.0.

So, the lesson here is, “Get coverage from you old job to your new one, if you can, or seal yourself off in a giant bubble and wait it out.”

May the force be with you, with a reasonable deductible.