#health-insurance
3 articles
COBRA's Full Premium Plus 2% Fee Costs $1,812 More Than a Subsidized Marketplace Plan
We ran a $650/month COBRA premium against a subsidized ACA marketplace plan over a 4-month job-loss bridge — COBRA's actual cost of $663/month vs $210/month after subsidy adds up to $1,812 in savings.
HDHP Saves $1,800/Year if You're Healthy. Costs $3,400/Year Extra if You're Not.
Low utilizer (under $1K healthcare/yr): HDHP wins by $1,500-2,500 with HSA tax shield. High utilizer ($8K+): low-deductible plan wins by $2-4K. Mid utilizer: coin flip. The break-even threshold is your honest forecast of next year's spending.
People Budget for a $2,000 Medical Shock — the Realistic Worst Case on Many Plans Is $9,000+
US health insurance bills in a three-stage waterfall: deductible, then coinsurance, then the out-of-pocket max kicks in. Most people understand each stage separately but can't say what a specific procedure would actually cost them.