This article brings up a very important point that I don't think the author intended to make: do not sign up for COBRA. If the author had signed up for an individual plan under Obamacare within the 60 day period from when she lost her job, she would have at least had health insurance, and if she remained unemployed, she would qualify for increasingly large subsidies.

In the olden days (before 2013) you had to sign up for COBRA to stay insured unless you were healthy enough to qualify for individual insurance. But now you can't be turned down, but you can only sign up during specific enrollment periods. Problem is, COBRA is still around, and companies are still required to offer it to you, even though for most people it's going to be way more expensive than individual insurance (because it's unsubsidized), and if something goes wrong or you become unable to afford the premiums, you can end up like the author, unable to sign up for an individual plan because you're out of the enrollment period.

This is one of a few holes and pitfalls that were created by the Affordable Care Act.

I know a lot about this stuff because my startup helps companies save money and design health benefits programs that take advantage of recent changes in the health care law (benefitter.com). If you have any Obamacare questions, let me know.