Unless you have a cushy government job with those benefits or a high paying white collar job, those years are the most likely for you to lose income due to age, health reasons, etc and any new job you get probably won’t have any benefits, or decent ones.
I do not know what the ACA subsidies are for people, but the ~$17k annual out of pocket maximum is what kills you. A single heart attack or stroke at the end of the year will cost you $34k (assuming you need healthcare in two calendar years today, who knows how much 2 decades in the future).
Plus, of course, surprise bills from out of network providers.
If anything, people should chose the high deductible high OOP max HSA plan so you can take advantage of tax benefits.
> For coverage effective in 2021, 250 percent of the federal poverty level in the continental U.S. is $31,900 for a single individual, $54,300 for a family of three, and $87,900 for a family of six. (These amounts are higher in Alaska and Hawaii, since they have higher federal poverty levels).
That’s rough for a household of two, especially if they live in a high tax state.
https://www.bls.gov/cpi/factsheets/medical-care.htm
Since I am a health economist, I can tell you that it is subject to many of the same problems other goods face: prices increase and this is generally observable (though much harder in healthcare than other areas!), while quality improves all the time but measuring quality is quite hard, perhaps also harder than in other classes of goods.
> Please don't comment about the voting on comments. It never does any good, and it makes boring reading.
My dads carefully planned retirement was ruined because he never imagined how expensive it would get.
I pay 1400 a month for a family. Still doesn’t cover a lot.