As it stands it looks like I'll try to do the root canals out of pocket, which I can do if I empty what's in the bank now (I do have one more sizable check coming, yea) and the 401k, but I don't know how long the latter will take to process. After that, if I can keep just the dental insurance with COBRA it'll run $32/month and cut the cost of care in half, so it's a no brainer, and since it's retroactive from today I'll get reimbursed for the difference between the insured and uninsured cost for the root canals. I'll be calling dental schools Monday (it's a measure of how beat I am that I didn't think of this) and a good friend of my moms (she helped me get my girls engagement ring for less than a quarter of what it's worth, even if I count the cost of resizing it and getting white instead of yellow gold) who got a tooth replaced in Mexico a while ago, so I'll try to talk to her this weekend.

The irony is that if my lazy butt had quit a month sooner I wouldn't be in this boat, but it will take "up to 44 days" to process COBRA, and since today was my last day HR won't notify them till Monday, which puts it last week of October, leaving me about ten days to get the root canals, have the crowns made and have them put on before I leave. So most likely I'll have to pay out of pocket and then get reimbursed after COBRA, and if the 401k takes to long to get me the money I'll need to see if I can get a payment plan or go to a dental school or Mexico.

And that really was my point: This is America; "go to Mexico" shouldn't be on the list of contingencies. But more and more of us are doing just that, and whatever one thinks of what I have or haven't done, that should be cause for concern.