There's no guarantee, with your old plan, that they would have kept you had you gotten really sick with expensive medical bills. The Slate article above touches

There's no guarantee, with your old plan, that they would have kept you had you gotten really sick with expensive medical bills. The Slate article above touches on some of this. Some people are getting subsidized care but the only people getting it for free are those who are eligible to enroll in Medicaid. Not all states have agreed to increase their Medicaid rolls however. Plus, as a Medicaid patient, it is not that easy to find doctors, especially specialists, who are willing to see you. I had a Medicaid patient who had surgery for a wrist fracture a few weeks ago. The orthopedist who operated on her would only agree to see her in follow up in a separate clinic for 'caid patients, and that appointment would be in February. Fortunately we were able to encourage the surgeon to see them sooner. Im guessing that's not the kind of healthcare you want, even if it's free.