Kaiser's "platinum-level" (90% average coverage, no deductibles) plan for a young nonsmoking adult runs about $450/mo in my state marketplace, and most of that is further subsidized for someone who isn't making middle class wages. The medium-deductible, 70%-average-coinsurance "Silver-level" plan is about half that.
I don't even understand the concept of a $12,000 deductible when the ACA established maximum out of pocket at:
> "For the 2024 plan year: The out-of-pocket limit for a Marketplace plan can't be more than $9,450 for an individual and $18,900 for a family."
The individual marketplace plans seem to exist in a totally different world from employer-provided plans. When I went from my old employer's COBRA to an MD Health Connection plan, my premium dropped nearly fourfold even with no subsidies.
I have no idea! High-deductible plans give you access to HSAs, which are the "don't pay taxes" cheat code (you put in pre-tax money, it gets invested in the market and grows tax-free, and you can spend it tax-free if it's on medical expenses; if you're over 65 you can use it for anything and pay regular income tax). But I'm paying 42,000 per year pre-tax for that privilege + insurance; maybe it's better to just get paid that as salary, take the income tax hit, buy coverage on the open market for far less, and then invest the leftover money.
You still pay the premiums. You just have access to an HSA account you can make separate pre-tax contributions to. Sometimes your employer puts some amount in as well on some regular interval.
I don't even understand the concept of a $12,000 deductible when the ACA established maximum out of pocket at:
> "For the 2024 plan year: The out-of-pocket limit for a Marketplace plan can't be more than $9,450 for an individual and $18,900 for a family."
What are you even paying for?