Anthem Blue Cross seeks to raise individual policyholders' rates (18% average)

[Steerpike]

30. What have I gained?

So I currently have no insurance. I just started a new job, but it's only part time (15 $ hr). My major problem right now was when my wife was fired we liquidated her retirement to pay down some of our major debts. So on paper we made close to 70 thousand this last year. Of course with taxes, fees and penalties we actually realized much less than that. Much less...
As a result we do not qualify for anything that is needs based.
With a family of 4 with a special needs child, a mortgage that is upside down and plenty of debt we are dancing on the head of a needle. Fortunately we both found new jobs. I found one after nearly a year of searching and my wife after only a couple of months.
But, I still can't afford a few hundred dollars a month (300?) for insurance that will have a 5000 dollar a year OOP.
If Obama's Insurance love letter were to start soon I probably would be forced to pay top dollar for insurance that I couldn't use that would also force my family into difficult financial circumstances.
What am I missing here.