Hear me out on this, please.
Let’s say that I spend $5k on health insurance in a year, but don’t go to the doctor or have any medical issues in that year. Where does my money go? It disappears. I basically just gave away my money, and received nothing in return. However, if I took that $5k and simply put it into a personal savings account instead of giving it away to a health insurance provider - that money stays right there if and whenever I decide to use it. It even collects interest.
I realize that with a health insurance provider, you’re (supposedly) getting discounted rates on medical services - but if your money is just disappearing into thin air if you don’t happen to need those medical services in a given year, are you really saving money? It just seems like a really big scam to me - what am I missing?
I don’t see this in other replies, even though it’s incredibly obvious, so: insurance for most people comes as a benefit from work or from the government. So you get something, you take it. Your question only applies to those who are not eligible for any kind of subsidized health insurance, which is rare for those who could otherwise afford one.
You can opt out of employer insurance. Some companies charge an arm and a leg though.