Laid off and company will pay 6 months cobra. Got a new job lined up with "worse" insurance. How do I navigate two insurances?

Hi, I have pretty good insurance at my current job but I'm getting laid off at the end of October. The company will cover COBRA for my PPO plan for 6 months (This is Blue Cross/Blue Shield). I have lined up a new job that starts in November and the insurance (Aetna) is "worse". Fewer doctor's take it, higher copays, etc.

When I go to enroll in the new insurance at the new job, I'm tempted to get the cheapest plan because of the 6 months of COBRA for the "good" plan from the old job. That will save a couple of thousand dollars at least over 6 months. But I worry about having 6 months of "bad" insurance at the new job when COBRA runs out before open enrollment comes around again. But if I buy the best/most expensive plan at the new job, won't I be wasting money by having two of the top plans at the same time?

I'm also pretty sure I'm not asking the right questions to make this decision.

Any advice on how to analyze this? I've never been in a two-insurance situation before.

Thanks!

submitted by /u/asuddencheesemonger
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