Should I take COBRA or get individual health insurance?

I am 60 yrs old and have high blood pressure. My spouse is 62 and smokes. Under COBRA, we would pay $836 a month for medical and dental. That coverage started in February but I have until May to decide if I want COBRA or not. At this point, if I choose COBRA, I have to pay for the months of February and March which have already passed. It's a federal law which makes no sense. But anyway, that's $1672 out the window. Am I better off using my money to get individual health insurance? My concern is that I don't know how having high blood pressure and my spouse being a smoker will affect things. Also, I recently had some dental work done and told them they may have to file a claim through COBRA if I do get it. The billing lady told me that they have problems with billing to COBRA because it's taking COBRA 60 to 90 days to pay a claim which will incur interest for the patient. Has anyone experienced this? I'm just so confused about all this. I'd appreciate any advice.
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Short Answer: Take the COBRA, pay the back premium, and when you turn 65, hop on Medicare A, B, D and Medigap. Long Answer: It is very difficult, if not impossible, for a high-blood pressure, secondhand smoker at age 60 to find individual health insurance that will cover what you want it to cover, and chances are good that it will be more expensive than COBRA. $1672 for two months of back pay may be difficult to swallow, but nothing like a $30,000 bill will be if you wind up in the hospital without insurance. Take the COBRA while investigating your own individual Health Insurance. If you can find something less expensive: Awesome. THEN you can ditch COBRA. Until then, stick with the federally supported plan. Be aware that unless you had dental coverage before you parted ways from your last job, you won't have any now either. Enrolling in COBRA will cover you retroactively to the date your coverage was terminated, exactly as it was. Depending on what state you are in, it may not be LEGAL for the dentist's office to charge you interest once the claim has been submitted, so if they try it, check with a licensed representative before you just pay it. On the other hand, it may just be simpler to pay the dentist and then submit to your insurance for reimbursement, but that is up to you.
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