many people have expressed frustration as you have about the cost of health insurance -- in particular the out-of-pocket costs that come with many health plans. insurers are now required to accept everyone who applies (before the law they frequently refused to sell coverage to people with any type of pre-existing medical condition). in response they have looked for other ways to reduce costs. shifting costs of care to consumers is one way to do that. the plans do provide access to many preventive services without you having to pay anything at the time of the visit. so it's important to take advantage of that -- wellness visits vaccinations many cancer screenings etc. depending on your health condition you may able to get most of the care you need each year at no additional cost. and you mentioned a catastrophic situation which is what insurance is intended to protect against in the first place. under the law your costs are capped at $6 600 for 2015. that's a lot of money but if you were in an accident or got very sick it's a lot lower than it would be if you had no coverage or even a private insurance policy before the law took effect. still i understand your frustration. no doubt there are trade offs. everyone is now guaranteed coverage but healthcare remains very pricey for most people. you might want to revisit the marketplace during open enrollment -- november 15 - february 15 -- to see if you can find yourself a better deal.
how is having a $3000 health care deductible better? . since the aca i now have a $3000 deductible for medical care and $1500 deductible for prescriptions. in effect i pay $200 a month for insurance that does not pay for anything. i will not meet those deductibles within 12 months unless something catastrophic happens (and i cant afford that). i fail to see how this is improving health care in america. all it has done is ensure people go to the doctor less frequently even if they need care and and that they don't get the medications they need.