While I agree that the US healthcare system is terrible, this shouldn't be much of a concern for people making software engineering salaries. One good thing the ACA did was make it reasonably convenient to exchange dollars for health insurance without the idiocy of your employer being a middleman, and you can't be denied or have rates jacked up for preexisting conditions.

It looks like California ACA Silver plans run about $1000/month for a 30 year old couple.

They can make use of COBRA and use some of that money to pay for that.

Well, when I ended up using cobra the cost was roughly 5x what I was paying while employed. This got worse as one aged, and put a noticeable dent in the household budget. If some of those that walked were <= 26, can't they use their parent's insurance due to ACA? For those with a working spouse, free money. For those working in, say, Canada, catastrophic insurance isn't something that involves the employer.

cobra is free for them -- per the covid bill. through 30 sept

COBRA is only free under the relief bill for people who were involuntarily terminated.

https://www.natlawreview.com/article/new-covid-19-relief-pac...

constructive termination counts as involuntary