If you’re younger than 50 and entirely self insured you’re in for a nightmare..

[MoonchildCA]

59. I'd like to know exactly where you are getting your numbers from.

Kaiser has an online calculator (and there are plenty more to be found) for Obama care, and you can get an estimate of what you will be required to pay. For instance, a 48-year-old man making 60,000 a year (which, I'm sure refers to adjusted gross income), would pay a $6440 a year, and maximum out of pocket expenses, not including your premium would be $6225. That number does not go up no matter what income I enter. Yes, over $12,000 a year is quite a chunk, but it's unlikely that you would spend your maximum out of pocket every year. You would most certainly be chronically ill in that case, and unlikely to draw such a salary in the first place.

It seems that $46,000 earnings per year for a single person is the cap for the subsidy. This is based on area so it can vary--I think it is equivalent to 400% of poverty. With that income, 9.5% of your income is all you pay. The rest is subsidized. These percentages decrease as your income drops.

Here is the handy calculator:
http://healthreform.kff.org/Home/KHS/SubsidyCalculator.aspx?source=FS

It is called the Affordable Care Act for a reason. It is designed to be affordable. No, it's not perfect, and no where close to single-payer, but I believe once it kicks in people will see that it is an improvement over what we have.

Maybe I'm biased, I have "Obamacare" due to a pre-existing condition. I'm 50, pay $370 a month, and it's the best insurance I have ever had. I have a $1500 deductible; they pay 85%; maximum $2500 out-of-pocket; and $25 office co-pays. They approve everything, after all, it's for pre-existing conditions.