Bull. What they are telling me is they want nearly a weeks paycheck for a policy with 9K out of pocket and 9K deductible. No meds, no dental, and an office copay. In other words, it's worthless to me. For anything I can use, they want a week and a half paycheck, and it's still a crappy policy, just not as crappy as the one above.
The government can't tell you what you can afford and what you can't because they don't know your expenses. They don't ask how much you pay for rent or mortgage. They don't ask if you are on medication and how much that costs. They don't ask what your medical bills are that their crummy insurance doesn't cover. They don't ask how much gasoline you use to get to work, or what your property taxes and insurance are. All they say is you make X, you are X old, and this is what you can afford. Big Brother has spoken.
I had employer sponsored coverage my entire adult life with preexisting conditions until that creep created Commie Care. The day it started, my employer dropped our coverage. Now I'm screwed, because many other employers did the exact same, and trying to find a new job at my age is tough enough yet alone a job with reasonable coverage.