Why does a 20(ish) year old need to buy a health insurance plan that they are never going to use?

Mainly, because you could be in a car accident or discover that you have cancer tomorrow, so you don't have a crystal ball to know that you "are never going to use" it. There will be different plans with different levels of coverage available under the exchanges when they open on Tuesday, some of which will effectively not be much more than catastrophic coverage, and most of which will certainly cost less than $300/month for a healthy person in their 20's, especially after the tax credits you will get. Also, if you are only in your early 20's and you have living parents who have insurance, their insurance company has to allow them to keep you on their coverage until you're 26, so don't forget that option.

I was 18 when I needed emergency surgery to have my gallbladder removed. That was a 30,000 dollar hit, that I wasn't expecting and was uninsured for. I had to declare bankruptcy. Really sh@tty way to start my adult life. I've been insured ever since.

Are you SURE that every 20(ish) year old won't have a traffic accident, catastrophic illness, fall off a bar stool, break a limb, undertake a risky dare that goes wrong, drink too much or any of a hundred other possible credit-wrecking health glitches?

There is a catastrophic only plan if you are under 30. If people would read the Obamacare site and look at their state exchange they might find answers

People your age have some options that do resemble catastrophic coverage ("bronze plans"). There are two parts to the rationale: first, it enlarges the number of people paying into the risk pool; second, young people don't get sick often, but they do get injured at a disproportionate rate, and their high-risk behavior results in a considerable amount of unreimbursed care in the nation's trauma centers and emergency departments.

The $300 a month IS the catastrophic coverage. The rest, the easy stuff, is a bonus.

They don't. If they drive they have insurance for the cause of most of the most frequent requirement for health insurance for that age demographic.....accidents.

Car insurance provides for the driver and the passengers accident insurance. Most are ill due to accidents not illness. So ACA will most likely not be funded due to non compliance of the younger people.

Why do you think they are spending Millions on ad campaigns to "encourage" people to sign up. and if that doesn't work you will be fined and if that doesn't work you could go to jail. but the first few years the fine is much less than the cost of having the insurance.

You really don't need to buy health insurance just get on your parents health insurance plan and you can stay on it until you turn 26.

Because if you get really sick (I got testicle cancer at age 26), the bill will end up in the 6 figures, or if you get hit by a car whose driver then takes off, the hospital bill will be also in the 6 figures. Nothing you can pay out of your pocket. And if you can't pay out of your pocket, you'll file for bankruptcy and WE THE PEOPLE will have to pick up YOUR bill. That's not okay, don't ya think?

Therefore, anybody needs to be insured. If you are single and your monthly health care premium under ACA is $300, you are already making $47K or more. If that's the case, you should not be too upset about $300 per month. I currently pay $1,862 just for myself, $1,181 for my wife per month, which is a lot of money even for me who has a good income, and am already counting the days 'til Tuesday.

Because you have too much and it's unfair. Your hard earned money should go elsewhere. If you get a catastrophic plan, some 400 pound fatty will have to take responsibility for his own bypass surgery. Some chain smoker will have to pay more for her lung transplant. Some dopehead will have to take responsibility for getting clean. Some flighty coed will have to pay for her own birth control pills.

I crashed a motorcycle at age 20, the other driver was charged with DUI

12 days in the hospital and 6 months of dentists and physical therapy

They couldn't help me at the Walk-in Clinic