this post was submitted on 17 Dec 2025
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I was just thinking about this while I was traveling earlier. While I know my situation is unique to some degree and obviously anecdotal, the fact that I could tell my story to just about anybody (friends, family, acquaintances, random strangers) and I'm certain that not a single one of them would find it unbelievably absurd is pretty telling.
In my area, if you are looking for a primary care provider, it's probably going to take some digging. I'm helping someone out with this now. Most places are not accepting new patients at all. And even if you can find one that is, they may not accept your health insurance. But even if they do, it's 8 weeks out before the first appointment is available.
In terms of health insurance for 2026, you basically have a window of opportunity to buy on the open market (outside of a limited number of qualifying life events that make you eligible for enrollment outside of that window). You can't just decide in March "I'd like to get health insurance now". Sorry, ACA cannot help you. So, when that enrollment period opened in November, I saw how much the prices on the plans was going up, let alone the fact that it was very likely there would be no subsidies on top of that, and that made me realize I better go ahead and make one final appointment with my care provider in case I don't have health insurance next year. Nope. They were already booked up until mid January, no slots available. So, I don't even get one final chance to see someone who can renew my prescriptions and check for any obvious health issues.
Of course these days, it's extremely common for your primary care provider to be a nurse and to never see a doctor at all in a general practice. Nurses are great, not knocking them at all and I have a lot of respect for them, but the fact that many of us aren't even seen by a doctor at all anymore concerns me.
Anyway, I could really, truly go on. I literally stopped myself from going on and deleted a bunch of shit. None of this is unusual or out of the norm (at least not in my part of the USA).
Every year my insurance premiums go up at least 20%, and this year I'm looking at 40%. Moreover, the care is absolute shit. If I were to have a catastrophic incident, my bronze HMO is going to leave me with a hefty bill in any event. Fortunately, I am in great health, and at this point I'm considering just bailing on health insurance.
If you're in the USA, you're looking on the open market, and you haven't selected a plan yet, then you're already going to go without health insurance for some period of time. Open enrollment with no gap in coverage ended on December 15th.
Lmao, that situation is not unique in the slightest. It's basically universal. Everyone, including those with employer sponsored plans, go through that same thing. Though, people in more populated areas will have an easier time finding a new doctor since there are just more doctors in the area. Still, drs generally have packed schedules because they're all owned by private equity and major corps that push them to fill every second of their day with billable time and to squeeze as many patients as possible into tiny insufficient time slots.
One of the things I hate is that everyone is also pushed to require bullshit appointments just so they can bill you extra. Want your doctor to keep writing you your low-risk but much needed prescription? That's gonna require quarterly check-ups (i.e. 5 minute phone calls that you are billed $200 for). Oh, you don't like that? Good luck finding a doctor that won't require it (you won't).
Everyone in the US has to deal with an open enrollment period and can only change their insurance during a few weeks of open enrollment or after a short list of qualifying life events.