Just thought I would chime in - we are using MediShare for my family of 5. We have a high income, so Obamacare was very bad for our family (not a political statement, just a fact). Our plan was cancelled, the new plans were WAY more expensive, we got no subsidies. Not exaggerating, we were going to be paying 15k per year for the bronze plan, with 10 k deductible and 50/50 after that until a 20k out of pocket. It was nuts.
So, we did the medishare thing and swallowed all the concerns mentioned here by everyone else. We are now paying 500 per month (6k per year). Total out of pocket max is $2,500.
We had our third child using this plan, it was by far the cheapest child we have had.
We have discovered some loopholes, children get vaccines from doctors. If you have insurance, they will make you pay $1,000+ dollars (per kid and we have 3!) If you say you are uninsured, which is true with medical bill sharing, they give you the exact same thing for free. What a racket.
I will say, negotiating medical bills, especially high ones, is very, very possible. I'm a trial attorney and do it for my injured clients all the time. Even so, if anyone here was to get a huge bill, they could go to a local plaintiff's attorney and pay by the hour for help. For example, if you get a bill for a million bucks, you don't have to write a check within 30 days to pay it. You can fight that sort of stuff.
There are also other strategies that, we all hope, we never have to use. For example, certain states have unlimited homestead exemptions for bankruptcy (Texas, for example). It is legal to take all your assets and purchase a home. Live in the home for a year. Declare bankruptcy to clear all debts - but not be forced to sell your home - and then sell your home and free all your assets. Does anyone here want to do that? No. But, the point is there are asset protection strategies that exist if you get hit with a multimillion dollar medical event. Seek legal advice.
Also, I know certain people don't like the idea of medical care in foreign countries. However, I have lived in Mexico extensively. If I had a major issue that I needed care and could not get it. $100,000 goes A LONG WAY in Mexico City - for example. Mexico City has doctors as good as anywhere else in the world, it is a city of 20 million plus people and the richest man in the world, Carlos Slim gets his medical care here.
Finally, there is insurance for car accidents. Other than chronic illness, this is the most likely way any of us will be involved in a major unforeseen medical emergency.
If you get a chronic condition, under Obamacare you could enroll with your pre-existing condition during the next open enrollment cycle.
Anyway, just some thoughts.