[WhatIsThisIm12]

As a young, healthy male in my 20's pursuing entrepreneurship, the best health insurance for me is the ability to declare bankruptcy. I have chosen to go uninsured and pay the ACA penalty because it's so much cheaper than paying for a catastrophic health insurance plan. Why would I pay $4000 per year for a $6000 deductible? I do not see any benefit from that except in the case of catastrophe. It's just flushing money (that I don't have) down the toilet.

If I have to go to the ER and have a hospital bill so high that I literally cannot afford it, I will just declare bankruptcy. After all, it's not like I have any money to lose. And bankruptcy will disappear after 7 years.

This is selfish, but I really don't give a shit. The healthcare system is so messed up and overpriced that I feel no social obligation to it.

[wonder_er]

This was what I did, until I got married. Now we've got a potential baby in the next ~ 1 year, so "uninsured" is not an option.

So, to pursue some things on my own time I had to negotiate a sabbatical with my company (which they generously allowed), so I could stay on employer health insurance.

If I wasn't able to do that, I'd be up shit creek, because there's no way in hell I'd risk my wife getting pregnant without health insurance.

I hope more and more people decide they feel no social obligation to things. Mass peaceful "law breaking" is really the best option, imo.

[kevinburke]

> I hope more and more people decide they feel no social obligation to things.

This is incredibly naive and ignores a lot of the political and theoretical underpinnings of our society and our country. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_contract

[chatmasta]

There is not one single social contract that we all must subscribe to. It's much more nuanced than that, with lots of little obligations here and there. Some are more valid than others, and the individual should have a right to decide which to be a part of. Not paying taxes is a much different violation of a social contract than not paying for health insurance, especially considering the very legitimate argument that the ACA penalty is unconstitutional in itself.

[wonder_er]

It perhaps ignores the validity of your approach to your relationship to the state, but it's a stretch to say it's naïve.

FWIW, I used to be solidly in the "social contract" camp, and over the last few years have walked out of that camp, na'er to return.

Want to see how that argument feels when reversed?

"Your blind adherence to the maintenance of the state, despite vast evidence that it's a force of oppression shows an incredibly naïve view of the goodness and trustworthiness of man and institutions composed of members of the human race."

See? not much fun. Lets get a little more nuanced, and talk about, perhaps, at which point might a society by improved by ignoring the "social contract". Do you think that point CAN be reached? If so, when? What must we do when it IS reached?

[kevinburke]

I'd note that, if you are not making much money as an entrepreneur, you'd probably be eligible for a sizable insurance subsidy; I think anyone making less than $100k a year is eligible for some discount off of the insurance list price.

Seven years is a long time, especially if you want to get married or have kids or get credit or not pay a ton in interest. Note also that bad outcomes in this case will compound; you've had a catastrophic injury and now you have higher interest rates and everything else.