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Indeed. A friend recently interviewed at a pretty well funded company started by some ex-bigco executives. It has raised a lot of money and has a pretty subst

Indeed. A friend recently interviewed at a pretty well funded company started by some ex-bigco executives. It has raised a lot of money and has a pretty substantial team. They are, as far as I can tell, not far from product (trials now) and yet friend, who they really actively recruited, as part of his offer, was told he'd have to buy his own insurance using ACA. (a) this was very surprising in legal terms, and I still don't quite get it, but (b) the friend absolutely rejected the offer even though he was otherwise very interested. His issue was that he can compromise on comp, he can compromise on location, and so on, but no way in hell was he going to compromise on health insurance. That take is regardless of whether he would, in fact, be compromising.

yamtaddle 4y ago
ACA plan quality varies a ton based on where you are, which can make it either an OK option, or something you only use as a last resort and try to get off of ASAP. In my state, there are zero individual plans offered outside the exchange—you call insurers, you call brokers, they'll all tell you the same thing, that every company is completely out of the individual market here unless they're on the exchange—and most years only two providers offer ACA plans, and 100% of those plans have terrible "networks" (which hospitals/doctors/pharmacies/urgent-cares/testing-facilities accept the insurance, for non-US readers). It's literally impossible to buy an actually-good individual plan in my state. Even middling employer-offered insurance is usually overall-better than the "platinum" ACA plans. I mean, I assume the very-rich have some concierge-type options that are good, but for normal people, having to buy individual insurance here means definitely having bad insurance, even if you pay a ton.
- foobiekr 4y ago
  If you wouldn't mind, can you share the state? I am in CA and I find the plans offered quite OK. They're better than what I've gotten from some employers though much, much worse than what I had most recently. The friend above was in Massachusetts where, I assume, things would be OK, but I didn't check.
  - yamtaddle 4y ago
    Red state in the Midwest that uses the federal exchange. I understand things are much better for ACA plans—both prices and plan quality—in states that have taken healthcare and the ACA seriously (so, mostly blue states) but that's only... like, half of all states, at best. Granted, that's our own stupid state's fault, but still.
    - foobiekr 4y ago
      Gotcha.

yamtaddle 4y ago

ACA plan quality varies a ton based on where you are, which can make it either an OK option, or something you only use as a last resort and try to get off of ASAP. In my state, there are zero individual plans offered outside the exchange—you call insurers, you call brokers, they'll all tell you the same thing, that every company is completely out of the individual market here unless they're on the exchange—and most years only two providers offer ACA plans, and 100% of those plans have terrible "networks" (which hospitals/doctors/pharmacies/urgent-cares/testing-facilities accept the insurance, for non-US readers). It's literally impossible to buy an actually-good individual plan in my state. Even middling employer-offered insurance is usually overall-better than the "platinum" ACA plans. I mean, I assume the very-rich have some concierge-type options that are good, but for normal people, having to buy individual insurance here means definitely having bad insurance, even if you pay a ton.

foobiekr 4y ago
If you wouldn't mind, can you share the state? I am in CA and I find the plans offered quite OK. They're better than what I've gotten from some employers though much, much worse than what I had most recently. The friend above was in Massachusetts where, I assume, things would be OK, but I didn't check.
- yamtaddle 4y ago
  Red state in the Midwest that uses the federal exchange. I understand things are much better for ACA plans—both prices and plan quality—in states that have taken healthcare and the ACA seriously (so, mostly blue states) but that's only... like, half of all states, at best. Granted, that's our own stupid state's fault, but still.
  - foobiekr 4y ago
    Gotcha.