Catastrophic coverage is not usually that expensive for fairly healthy young people. Where we run into trouble is when we are older, sick or want to load up the program with lots of extras and low deductibles.
It all depends on your priorities.
On one hand, you can be like a neighbor of mine, buying a new pickup, a Harley, drinking like a fish on weekends, maxing out credit cards and looking forward to having his neighbors pay his medical bills because he can't "afford" medical insurance.
Or you can be like a friend at church, he's a farmer who pays for a high deductible program that only pays off in case of catastrophic illness or accident. He pays for all the little stuff himself, and gets a good price by paying cash. He spends quite a bit of money on insurance and healthcare but he will never have to declare bankruptcy because of an illness or accident.
