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I have health insurance provided by my employer, but when not employed, I skip it and just pay for anything out of pocket. Hasn't been a problem so far, but I

by bm3719 4y ago

I have health insurance provided by my employer, but when not employed, I skip it and just pay for anything out of pocket. Hasn't been a problem so far, but I can see how people more attached to health care services might find that hard to make work. Their numbers (and perhaps mine later in life) will be different, of course. I live in WV. Per capita income in my county is $14k, so most here are living on much less. My only fixed costs are power, property tax (which is pretty low here), internet service, some firewood to supplement what I cut myself, some food to round out the garden diet, and a twice a year run to the dump. But, that's only about $5k/yr. The rest are non-essentials, like buying a new car instead of used, trips, hobby supplies, and the occasional video game.

klipklop 4y ago
>I have health insurance provided by my employer, but when not employed, I skip it and just pay for anything out of pocket. This is a fantastic way to lose everything from something as simple as missing a step and breaking your foot in the US.
- bm3719 4y ago
  In that situation, I would just pay for it (and have in the past). If it was one of those nightmare bills you hear about sometimes, I would simply extend my working years by +1 or whatever to even things out. Or, maybe I'd just pretend I lost it in a market downturn and move on with life.
trashface 4y ago
Ah, that makes sense. FWIW I'm one state over in PA, philly suburbs, and the per capita income here I think is the highest in the state or close to it. My SALT alone is $5K. Marketplace health plan is nearly $4.5K just for premiums and the government is kicking in even more than what I pay, but its a PPO so more of a "luxury" plan. The HMO plans here, which I used for a while, are just too much red tape to actually use effectively and they limit you to some, shall we say, budget providers. I had noted before that WV seems cheaper, though I think if I move out of PA I'll head someplace warmer.
saiya-jin 4y ago
Ah, you play game of life on easy mode, you have no kids. I was living on sub-10k$/year in the heart of the most expensive city on planet - Zurich (back then), while owning nothing. That was rather trivial, hiking and walking in the forests is for free, great public swimming pools are cheap and lake was for free in the summer so staying happy and fit was easy to achieve. But like with all games, playing games on easiest modes aint the idea of most rewarding fun for most folks, and this metaphor is also true for life itself.
- bm3719 4y ago
  Can confirm that SWE salary + no kids + modest needs/desires can make for an easy mode life. Myself and some others I'm familiar with in a similar situation use the free the bandwidth to load up on complexity in other areas, like work. Others just enjoy an easy life. Either can be quite rewarding, just as I'm sure procreating sometimes is.
  - trashface 4y ago
    I also didn't have kids and don't regret it. BTW I looked it up and the PA county I'm in is about $42K per capita income, highest in the state, so yeah don't move here lol.

by bm3719 4y ago

klipklop 4y ago

>I have health insurance provided by my employer, but when not employed, I skip it and just pay for anything out of pocket. This is a fantastic way to lose everything from something as simple as missing a step and breaking your foot in the US.

bm3719 4y ago
In that situation, I would just pay for it (and have in the past). If it was one of those nightmare bills you hear about sometimes, I would simply extend my working years by +1 or whatever to even things out. Or, maybe I'd just pretend I lost it in a market downturn and move on with life.

trashface 4y ago

Ah, that makes sense. FWIW I'm one state over in PA, philly suburbs, and the per capita income here I think is the highest in the state or close to it. My SALT alone is $5K. Marketplace health plan is nearly $4.5K just for premiums and the government is kicking in even more than what I pay, but its a PPO so more of a "luxury" plan. The HMO plans here, which I used for a while, are just too much red tape to actually use effectively and they limit you to some, shall we say, budget providers. I had noted before that WV seems cheaper, though I think if I move out of PA I'll head someplace warmer.

saiya-jin 4y ago

Ah, you play game of life on easy mode, you have no kids. I was living on sub-10k$/year in the heart of the most expensive city on planet - Zurich (back then), while owning nothing. That was rather trivial, hiking and walking in the forests is for free, great public swimming pools are cheap and lake was for free in the summer so staying happy and fit was easy to achieve. But like with all games, playing games on easiest modes aint the idea of most rewarding fun for most folks, and this metaphor is also true for life itself.

bm3719 4y ago
Can confirm that SWE salary + no kids + modest needs/desires can make for an easy mode life. Myself and some others I'm familiar with in a similar situation use the free the bandwidth to load up on complexity in other areas, like work. Others just enjoy an easy life. Either can be quite rewarding, just as I'm sure procreating sometimes is.
- trashface 4y ago
  I also didn't have kids and don't regret it. BTW I looked it up and the PA county I'm in is about $42K per capita income, highest in the state, so yeah don't move here lol.