“A problem for self-pay may not be such a good idea, especially if the patient has recurring medical needs.”
Agreed and the article notes that. If you have an ongoing medical problem and are likely to hit your deductible, this might not be a good idea in the long run. However, given the sky high deductibles under deathcare, most folks are never going to get to use their “insurance” in any case.
I joined a healthcare co-op with a $10,000 deductible. I only wanted insurance/sharing for something catastrophic. My premium (monthly contribution) is less than half what I was paying before being cancelled by Blue Cross. If I don't disclose my coverage and can get discounts in excess of 70% of the insurance company pricing I'm way ahead. If these out of pocket expenses exceed 10% of my net annual income I get to deduct the excess.
We need to think about how to act in our own best economic interest rather than being forced into a collective mentality overseen by people exempted from it.