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Comment by eplanit | Hacker News Reader

> "I'll pay almost anything to ensure that a sudden medical event doesn't bankrupt me."

Exactly, and reflects the mafia-esque choice imposed on the consumer when rates are increased: pay the absurd rate or face absolute ruin if (when) a sudden medical event occurs.

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It's mildly terrifying. If you're unlucky enough to break a major bone or get cancer or something like that, you could literally be on the hook for millions of dollars. I lived overseas for a couple of years, and when I got back to the US one of the first things I did was obtain health insurance because of this.

Might be a better option to just declare bankruptcy.

In many cases that's true. Medical debt is the cause of most personal bankruptcies in the US. But it's not a good option either, so better to avoid both if you can. If you have substantial savings then you'd stand to lose those to your creditors in bankruptcy. If you have no savings and don't plan on taking out any loans for a long time then it might be a decent option.

This is one of several reasons I have written off moving back to the US. A unexpected bonus of being an expat is I have no Obamacare requirement. I don't have to buy US insurance (since I couldn't use it anyway) and I don't face an IRS penalty.

Where's your greener pasture?

Thailand. It's not for everybody. But you can get world class medical care at a fraction of the price here.

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