It depends on your expected medical costs. If you're relatively young and healthy, saving that 9-12.5% of your income is worth it. If you're sick/old/etc., then

It depends on your expected medical costs. If you're relatively young and healthy, saving that 9-12.5% of your income is worth it. If you're sick/old/etc., then it's absolutely worth buying coverage. Note that in this system the healthy don't join the risk pool. This, my friend, is called adverse selection.