Becky could probably get a decent policy on her own for less than $100 a month, but it’s her choice. We pay $384 for a family of four with a 5K deductible.
The only way the libertarian approach works with this is if people are allowed to die on the street, in their homes, etc. or have to suffer the consequences of their decisions. As long as they can fail to handle their medical emergencies or conditions and still get help or relief nothing’s going to change.
Let's say I don't smoke, I don't drink, I don't speed or disregard traffic laws, I work to keep my blood chemistry in good shape, etc. It takes a conscious effort on my part to do all the things that I feel are good for me, and I really have to work at resisting all sorts of temptations, but then someone comes along who's done none of these and has problems as a result. I still have to pay for it just as though I had made no effort to avoid the costs of poor choices.
I don't know the answer except to thank God, literally, that I am in a position to help those who can't or won't help themselves.
I love, love, love my HSA.
$350/mo, $5700 deductable (significant discount on negotiated prices for services) 100% thereafter and $8M limit for each of us. ( 2 adults, near 50y.o., 1 smoker, prostate cancer survivor)
The problem I see it is that people don’t want to pay for their own insurance.