I recently quit my job to start my own indie game studio. I came dangerously close to being unable to file the paperwork to prove that I was experiencing a "qualifying life event" that would allow me to sign up for ACA insurance outside of the normal once-per-year window. It's not that I was lazy -- I started looking at options over a week before I left my job, and between the various websites being down every night, and insurance representatives not knowing what they're talking about, and having to figure out coverage for my partner also, the whole process was way trickier than it should have been.
A former coworker of mine recently went through the same process when he quit, and ended up without insurance for a short period.
A lapse in insurance coverage means exposure to basically unlimited costs. That's not a position anyone should have to take, whether due to financial hardship or missing a paperwork deadline. And until we get single-payer, there are going to people who fall through the cracks who have to face the possibility of losing their life savings if they get hit by a bus.
A former coworker of mine recently went through the same process when he quit, and ended up without insurance for a short period.
A lapse in insurance coverage means exposure to basically unlimited costs. That's not a position anyone should have to take, whether due to financial hardship or missing a paperwork deadline. And until we get single-payer, there are going to people who fall through the cracks who have to face the possibility of losing their life savings if they get hit by a bus.