Remember our success story highlighted by the President?

[MineralMan]

69. OK. In any case, someone who doesn't qualify for a subsidy

can probably afford the insurance. They'd be a fool not to have health insurance in that situation. I maintained mine for decades, despite my income falling in some years. It seemed like a necessity. In fact, when I was 45, it saved my life. I wouldn't have gotten the care I needed for my viral encephalitis that put me in a coma for two weeks. As it was, I spent about $20,000 in additional costs for co-pays, but I'm alive.

Anyone who doesn't carry health insurance who can in any way afford it is running a very large risk. I've never been willing to take that risk, even when I really couldn't afford the premium. My wife's in the same situation, and she's uninsurable, so she has had to maintain a lousy policy that was a carryover from a previous job for many, many years. Her current premium, at age 57 is $942/month. It's a decent policy but she couldn't switch until ACA. Now, she has chosen a Platinum level policy for half the premium and only a $1000 maximum out of pocket and deductible. It's a bargain, more or less. We still can't really afford it, but what the hell. She needs it.

I'm on Medicare. Before I turned 65, my monthly premium was $776. Between the two of us, our health insurance costs were crippling, but there it was.

It's a choice people make or don't make. If we had single payer, you'd still be paying premiums. They'd be lower, but they'd still be there, and lots of people would believe they couldn't afford it. Until, of course, they needed some serious healthcare.

The situation sucks, no doubt, but it's the situation. I choose not to be bankrupted by a lack of insurance if I get sick. My choice.