[21twelve]

I pay about $1200 a month now (self employed, family of five), and the $13k deductible. When I hear people say “insane” (like you), I’m wondering what you do for insurance? But I figure most folks have a job where “the Man” is paying, so the costs are hidden. But the costs are still there - and someone (all of us?) will pay, in the end.

Eh - reminds me of working for a small company where I wasn’t getting paid much as we were getting it started. The boss said “Don’t worry - you’ll get your reward in the end.”

“That’s okay - I’m getting it in the end already!”

[TigersEye]

I don't have insurance or a job. If I could somehow carve $25K per year out of my budget I would put it in an income fund. If I could manage to stay healthy for 10 years I would have well over $300K in the fund earning something like $14K per year. It would take a major illness to wipe that out.

If you could go 15 or 20 years without touching it you would have some real serious money.

[SJackson]

the HMO Blue Cross Blue Shield plan they pay about $375 each month for wasn’t quite what they expected...NPR noted that there were practices that accepted HMO plans, but the doctors rotated and Rachel wanted a relationship with only one physician...And I’m extremely confident that, that’s not what the architects of this plan had in mind

That's very inexpensive insurance. Unless they're in a rural county there were probably non-HMO options. Or the private market. But no, that wouldn't be $375 a month, taxpayers wouldn't be footing part of the bill. I'm confident it's exactly what the architects of the plan had in mind.

[Kickass Conservative]

When Insurance isn’t based on Risk, it no longer can be called Insurance.

Remember, nothing in Life is Free. It may be “included”, but it’s never Free.

[Patriotic1]

I cover most of the costs of my own insurance at work, and my deductible is nowhere near 13K.