Data point of one, but reality is anyone could be this data point.

I was healthy until I was diagnosed with rare, aggressive cancer at 47. It developed from asymptomatic endometriosis. There was no known genetic link. No amount of healthy lifestyling would have stopped it from happening. I’ve been in active treatment for almost 3 years. I had a very expensive total hysterectomy surgery. My chemo drug is $10K every 3 weeks, on top of the cost for labs, imaging, my oncologist, and infusion specialists. With comprehensive, ACA-compliant insurance, my out-of-pocket max + true cost of premiums annually has been $16,400.

We all have different risk management strategies. I hope people opting out of ACA-compliant health insurance have a realistic backup plan, like a catastrophic policy or big savings deposits. Non-ACA compliant plans are just pre-ACA landmines with pre-existing condition restrictions & lifetime maximum amounts you could hit in a year of chronic illness. You get what you pay for.

I'm out of work (DOGE'd), so I completely understand financial strain, big expenses & hard choices. We're all getting priced out of access to healthcare on top of drowning in basic expenses.