My suggestion to those thinking about this: do the math. Having just quit my job, I found that health care is cheaper than you'd think. COBRA ensures that you are covered for 18 months under your existing plan.
I can't think of any other benefit I'm missing. It seems to give a warm and fuzzy sense of security to a lot of people.
If you are in any sort of accident, the insurance pays for itself. I had an allergic reaction while uninsured, and it cost me $3700. An old roommate was in a bicycle accident while uninsured, and the bill was close to $18,000.
COBRA is a pretty bad deal though. Mine was almost $250. You can get a good Blue Cross plan for that much, or a simple disaster plan for much less.
COBRA was super expensive for me (over $250 a month) luckily we qualified for this young adults program in MA which is ~$130 per month. In the west coast, you can find even better deals. Obviously, this is a much bigger issue if you have a wife and kids.
I can't think of any other benefit I'm missing. It seems to give a warm and fuzzy sense of security to a lot of people.