Often, COBRA coverage is a life-saver. But one Western Washington couple says they got caught in a COBRA squeeze.

John Delin of Gig Harbor has to crawl to reach his wheelchair, because he can't put any weight on his two feet.

"It sounded like a .22 shell going off. The tendon snapped and I felt a wince of pain," said Delin.

That's because in two separate accidents, he tore vital ligaments in both feet.

After two surgeries, he will be in a wheelchair for weeks, and then he faces six months of physical therapy.

It's an ordeal, but at least he and his wife, Dawn, had COBRA health insurance through Dawn's previous employer.

Or they thought they did, until they received a policy termination notice that arrived just before John was about to have his second surgery, citing a failure to pay the premiums on time.

"I got a call from one of the providers and they said, 'Your company says you're not insured anymore,' and I said,'What? That's impossible,' said Dawn.

The Delins said they thought they had been very careful in making their premium payments, but that the billing was confusing.

They showed KIRO two statements for the month of April which they received just a week apart. One was for nearly $619 that they did pay, and another one eight days later for was for $32 more that they may not have paid.

"It's really confusing. Maybe that couple of years of college I've got under my belt wasn't good enough," said Delin.

The company that administers their COBRA coverage is called Ceridian. A spokesman there told KIRO the Delins 'Missed a payment, got a grace period, and then missed the grace period.'

He went on to say, the 'rules for COBRA coverage are very, very clear,' and there was no alternative but to terminate their policy.

Amid the trauma of the operations and Dawn's new job as a rural letter carrier, the Delins admit they may have made a mistake, despite their best efforts.

Still, they say, one mistake shouldn't have left them with no health insurance at all.

"From my perspective, if they can cut it that tight, that system doesn't work," said Delin.

Dawn Delin has this advice: Don't cut payments close; pay ahead of time.

"Pay way ahead of time. And pay attention to the bills, because if you're out, obviously, two cents, they knock you off your insurance," said Dawn.

Insurance industry experts told KIRO that you can lose your coverage for all kinds of insurance -- home, car, and health --if you miss or are late on even a single payment.

The difference is that it's often harder to get re-insured for health care.

As for the Delins, they are appealing the cancellation of their COBRA coverage. If they lose the appeal, they figure they'll also lose about $30,000.