This insurance topic is a financial landmine for our family.
I have a wife and three young kids. We live overseas. We don't have health insurance. Health care costs where we live are cheap. We generally don't get sick, and when we do we just "pay as you go" at the local clinic.
Two of my kids broke their arms last year on separate occasions. We took them to the hospital (90 minutes away, we live in a remote area). The doc checked them out, did X-rays, and put a cast on the arm. Total medical cost was less than $200. We probably spent less than $1,000 on actual medical costs last year.
We plan to move to the US next summer, or perhaps the summer after that.
I think our income will be high enough that we won't qualify for any ACA subsidies.
Do what's a decent health insurance plan cost for a family of five with no subsidies? I've heard anything from $12,000 per year to $20,000 per year, and those plans have deductibles in the thousands of dollars. If so, that's nuts, we'd prefer to just do "pay as you go" in the USA.
I have the savings to cover a medical emergency. I'd prefer to take the risk that we remain basically healthy and our actual medical expenses each year are below $10,000. If disaster strikes and expenses are above that, I have the savings to pay out of pocket.
Does the ACA still have the 2% of income penalty if you don't get insurance coverage? We might even prefer to pay that penalty than to pay $15,000 for annual coverage with a $5,000 deductible.
If family income is above $120,000 per year, what should we expect to play for a basic insurance policy for 2 adults and 3 kids ages 6-10. Everyone is basically healthy with no pre-existing conditions. |
