Did You Know?
I tried one of those telehealth-only plans. Great for colds and prescriptions, terrible for anything serious. It’s not real insurance. Good add-on, not a replacement.
If you’re outside the US, this conversation is wild 😅
I’m in Canada. Health insurance costs me nothing monthly. The downside is wait times, but I don’t worry about going broke over a broken arm.
I don’t think people talk enough about hidden costs. I had a “cheap” plan in Arizona, then found out mental health visits weren’t covered at all. Premium was low, but therapy was $150 per session. Read the fine print.
I’m probably the odd one out, but I just use catastrophic coverage + cash pay. I’m 29, no health issues. Plan costs $95/month in Texas. I pay out of pocket for basic stuff and save money overall. Risky? Yes. Cheaper? Also yes.
Not everyone can get employer insurance though. I’m self-employed in California, and the ACA marketplace with subsidies is the only thing that makes sense. I pay around $70/month. Without the subsidy it would be insane.
Short-term plans are basically “fake insurance.” I fell for one in Florida because it was $89/month. They denied my claim because the condition was “pre-existing” (even though I didn’t know about it). Cheap doesn’t mean useful.
Employer insurance is underrated IMO. My company plan in New Jersey costs me $110/month and covers basically everything. I had an individual plan before and was paying double for half the coverage. If you can get group insurance, do it.
High-deductible plans are cheap until you actually need them. I’m in <strong”>Colorado and pay $165/month for a Bronze plan. Sounds great, right?
Then I needed an ER visit and ended up paying almost $4,000 out of pocket. If you’re healthy and lucky, they’re fine. If not… yikes.
Honestly, if you qualify for government insurance, nothing beats it. I was on Medicaid in Ohio for about a year after getting laid off. Paid $0/month and like $3 for prescriptions. The downside is finding doctors who accept it. But purely cost-wise? Cheapest by far.
I’m a healthy single adult in Texas and chose a high-deductible ACA Bronze plan.
Monthly cost: $190/month.
I only had one doctor visit all year, so it worked well for me.
Pros: Lowest premium I could find.
Cons: You pay a lot if something serious happens—deductible was over $7,000.
I’m in California and the cheapest option for me was a Covered California Silver plan with subsidies. Because my income was under the threshold, I paid about $65/month.
Actual medical costs were low—copays around $15–$25 and no surprise bills.
Pros: Preventive care covered, predictable costs.
Cons: Limited doctor network and paperwork during renewal.
Depending on your area:
What REALLY matters is this:
✅ Replacement cost — insurance is meant to pay to rebuild your home, not the market value. So you base it on what the builder would charge.
✅ Deductible — bigger deductible = lower premium. If you pick $2,000 or $5,000 and nothing ever happens, you saved money but risked paying more when you do claim.
✅ Weather & risk zones — if you risk hurricanes, earthquakes, floods you may need extra riders which can double the price.
I personally went with a policy that gave enough dwelling coverage to actually rebuild — I didn’t choose the ultra cheap one that left gaps in replacement coverage.
Our last home (~$400k replacement cost) ended up costing about $1,500/year for insurance with good coverage:
We chose a $1,000 deductible, which felt safe — when we raised it to $2,500, we dropped the premium by a few hundred bucks. If you’re young and healthy, a higher deductible makes sense; if you don’t have a big savings cushion, a lower one might be better.
Also ask agents about discounts for updated systems (roof, electrical, plumbing) — we saved a good chunk from that alone.
Insurance quotes on a $400k house are like car insurance quotes — nobody pays the first thing they see. 😂 I got quoted $1,100/year, and then my buddy in the same city with basically the same house got $2,300/year. What changed? He has an old roof and no security system.
If you want cheaper:
But don’t cheap out so much that you can’t pay to rebuild if the house burns down. Then you’re just saving pennies and risking dollars.
Cheapest doesn’t mean best. I learned that the hard way. Paid $140/month for a plan in Pennsylvania, then hit a $7,500 deductible. Now I pay more monthly but less overall. Look at total yearly cost, not just the premium.