I have a suggestion for uninsured people who plan on staying uninsured... Get a medical discount card. Hospitals and doctors generally charge uninsured people quite a bit more than people with insurance. A medical discount card gets you those preferred rates. It's not insurance -- you are still paying for all expenses yourself, but you are getting a much better rate.
Medical discount cards cost $10-$15 per month and operate like a PPO (preferred provider). You have to go to doctors who are in-plan. Check out whether your doctor (or a nearby doctor) is in the plan before you sign up for it.
My plan covers dental and doctor visits but not hospital visits and costs $10 per month. Different plans cover various combinations of dental, doctor, hospital, vision, and prescription drugs. Before we had the card we were spending $95 for dental cleanings plus $55 for x-rays. Now we pay $45 and $30, so our dental savings more than pays for the cost of the card.
Medical discount card companies are kind of hard to find. I'd suggest Googling for them.
And on the topic of health insurance... it isn't ridiculous to go uninsured if you are either wealth or poor. It is the middle class people that need insurance to guard against losing their homes and retirement funds. If you are poor, you just declare bancruptcy if you accumulate too many bills (an implicit put option on medical bills) and if you are wealth you can cover your bills and self-insure.
Medical discount cards cost $10-$15 per month and operate like a PPO (preferred provider). You have to go to doctors who are in-plan. Check out whether your doctor (or a nearby doctor) is in the plan before you sign up for it.
My plan covers dental and doctor visits but not hospital visits and costs $10 per month. Different plans cover various combinations of dental, doctor, hospital, vision, and prescription drugs. Before we had the card we were spending $95 for dental cleanings plus $55 for x-rays. Now we pay $45 and $30, so our dental savings more than pays for the cost of the card.
Medical discount card companies are kind of hard to find. I'd suggest Googling for them.
And on the topic of health insurance... it isn't ridiculous to go uninsured if you are either wealth or poor. It is the middle class people that need insurance to guard against losing their homes and retirement funds. If you are poor, you just declare bancruptcy if you accumulate too many bills (an implicit put option on medical bills) and if you are wealth you can cover your bills and self-insure.
