I'm "self-employed", ie employed by the company that I own, and so I have to shoulder the entirety of health insurance cost for my family of 4. Because I'm the only FT employee, we aren't eligible for "business/small group" health plans; which means we either have to buy private health insurance (often not meeting ACA Essential Coverage requirements) and/or purchase health insurance from the 'health exchange' marketplace administered by our state.

The first year, we could actually purchase decent coverage and while it was expensive, it was a solid PPO plan. The past two years however, there isn't even a single PPO plan offered on the exchange in my state -- not one -- I don't even think there were any "Platinum" coverages offered. The end result is that we pay essentially a mortgage-size payment each month and in exchange we get relatively abysmal coverage.

Worse yet? It seems they categorically deny ~75% of claims, which generally means we have to appeal & fight them on it (our success rate is high but it's time-consuming); if it's testing/labs that need done, we also have to front the cash out of pocket to avoid delaying diagnosis & any potentially needed treatment. Often that means $800+ out of pocket PLUS a 4-8 hour time investment over a 3-4 month span in order to try to recoup that money -- all the while, we're of course paying the absurd premiums each month.

Insurance & the financial aspect of healthcare is so completely broken in the US that it's sickening. I believe the problem is so severe that it's really hurting our country's economy and is incredibly stifling for individuals & small businesses. I wish I knew how to fix it. :(