I am one of those who purchased a private plan in the exchange. I cancelled my self employed coverage because
1. Pricing slightly better
2. I like one of the providers better than the best priced business one
3. I could get subsidy if I have a bad year or if I do creative accounting.
So many self employed are just swapping plans. They are not picking up new insurance. I fully expect that I might do better without the exchange once the initial teaser rates are increased.
Be cautious.
If you income drops below a certain amount in a year you could be automatically signed up for Medicaid, in which case your assets are liable to ‘asset recovery’.
This is a danger for those who are self employed or have erratic income from year to year or those on commission who have a bad year (or who were sick and couldn’t make their regular income) or people who were laid off and had a low income until they could find a another job.