Prognosis

Why Some Americans Are Risking It and Skipping Health Insurance

Prices and deductibles are rising. Networks are shrinking. And even some well-off Americans are questioning what they’re paying for.
Illustration: Cathryn Virginia

In tiny Marion, North Carolina, the Buchanans decided that $1,800 a month was too much to pay for health insurance, and are going without it for the first time in their lives.

In Harahan, one bend of the Mississippi River up from New Orleans, the Owenses looked at their doubling insurance premiums and decided no, as well. “We’re not poor people but we can’t afford health insurance,” Mimi Owens said.