>> I never said that should be the case, but it should also be mentioned you don't need get your insurance from your employer anymore, under the ACA. You could

>> I never said that should be the case, but it should also be mentioned you don't need get your insurance from your employer anymore, under the ACA. You could before the ACA it is just the plans were not as robust. I have had independent insurance since 2009. I did it and it was actually scary starting business with this fear. I was initially rejected even though I was healthy, 30 and was applying to the same insurance I just left at my employer. The ACA, for better or worse, made this much, much easier and the plans can't be pulled out from under you or prevent you from getting one. The ACA could be a start to removing insurance from employment and benefit pricing/understanding of market value in health. >> This is a moral hazard problem, and it's part of why it's a bad idea to consider coverage of routine care as "insurance". Maybe we need health insurance and healthcare plans separate, it is moving that way in the independent insurance area. The only way for this to happen is to separate it from the employer. Side note, I worked in games and agencies previously and I saw on two occasions (right to work state) where people were let go who just had health issues that were more serious (heart, one sales guy, one developer). So when people get insurance through their company they think they are covered, but in reality insurers and companies want to pull out of that as soon as possible leaving the individual not insured and not safe. Both were let go shortly after their issues and left with now having to find a plan with a condition (before the ACA). So really, independent insurance is really closer to insurance than employer provided insurance that ends with employment or can be taken from you when you actually need it. Yes there is some buffer with CORBA and other temporary things but it is not safe in terms of being an individual who actually wants insurance in case bad things happens. If everyone got independent insurance there would be massive changes to pricing and understanding of healthcare and the insurance part (catastrophic). It might even spawn two types of insurance (catastrophic and routine) out of it or industries. Noone should lose the catastrophic side when they leave a job, it is seriously unsafe and not really insurance.