Instead of arguing about something you cant directly control, maybe you should look at how to lower your heathcare costs that you can control. Look at what your healthcare needs are. An employer provided health coverage has to cover all age groups and heathcare needs. For example older people that have on going heath problems that require ongoing persciptions. Younger workers that need maturnity coverage and everthing inbetween. So lets say your 30-35years old, done having kids and in realitivly good health. Why would you want to pay for all this extra coverage that you dont need? Your premiums are paying for the younger people starting family's, the older coworkers healthcare issues and everything inbetween. Also that i just think is dumb is that most employers still want a doctors excuse if you miss work if your sick. Which inturn drives up the costs because now your just going to the doctor's for the excuse slip so you dont get a unexused missed day of work. This is basically how i felt when i dropped my employers health plan. At that time the premiums were and average of $550 a month with a (i think) $5K-$6 deductable. I switch to a private HSA that has a vanishing deductable. It drops 20% every year that i dont meet the deductable. Since i never hit my deductable its at $2500ish now. No co-pay check ups, wifie gets all her yearly womaly stuff and wellness check-ups for the kid. My premium is less than half of what it was from my employer. Before my wife finally got a job at the hospital we did not carry matunity coverage. We had already looked into the costs of child birth paying out of pocket and its cheaper than paying premiums and meeting the deductable. Now she alone takes the hospital coverage while our kid and i are on the HSA. The point is you need to fine tune your health coverage to what you need. Dont just blindly take whats offered. The goverment isnt going to look at your personal healthcare needs and budget for you. Thats your job.