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.