It's too bad you didn't give him or another broker a chance, because you spent a lot of money you didn't need to spend. He could have told you how COBRA works, saving you at least 2 months of premium (you have 60 days to sign up for COBRA, you can sign up at any time during this period and make payments retroactively - payment is due 45 days after you elect to use it).

While I'm sure you spent the time to really research the plan you selected in depth, not everyone may be able to do this. Plans that look the same can sometimes have subtle but important differences, especially with regards to coverage caps and qualified coverages.