re: I pay approximately $700/month for premium healthcare coverage…

Almost there, and just my opinion, but younger people and young families should have high deductible catastrophic plans. Accidents happen, so does cancer and other bad unfortunate things. For the most part however young healthy people normally wouldn't need premium type insurance.
It does cost money however.

We can't all be on govt insurance

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What is all this noise about stealing healthcare from people? Who are these people that don’t have affordable healthcare?

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My Blue Cross costs me north of $700 a month just for myself not a family of 5.

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you know anyone that works at a chemical plant or refinery (not a contractor but plant employee)? Monthly premium for really good coverage for family is actually less than 700/month (down here in South Louisiana, dont know about other states...)

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Did not know this. This is incredibly cheap. This is the exception not the rule. Most people in this country are paying minimum 1500 a month for a family of four. Unless you are subsidized.

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I’m well aware. And if one is self employed and is struggling to pay his or her health premiums, might I suggest that they’re not very successful in their business venture and go back to working for an employer?

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You said that you didn’t know how people couldn’t find affordable health care, citing your personal experience as an employee and the rate you pay. The affordability of the healthcare has nothing to do with the success of the business, it just straight up costs more if you are self employed. So if you don’t understand how people pay more than you, it’s because they don’t have an employer paying the bill for them.

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I know health premiums are high if you’re paying the full amount, but if you’re unable to pay that as a self employed person then you’re probably struggling to pay everything else too.

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That’s definitely not what your original point was, and the OP seems to have come to the same conclusion you. It’s not about the struggle to pay, it’s just the gross cost is higher than most employees pay.

But to your point, I argue that the health insurance makes everything else more of a struggle to pay and hard to plan. I really don’t know how much it’s going to cost each year. From an economic standpoint, it’s a drag at the macro level.

And no thanks, I’ll pay for all my health insurance and employment taxes before I’d ever work for someone else again. I at least have the option to make more to pay for it.

I had a great job for the last 17 years. Plant shutdown permanently which left me with the option of rolling the dice with no insurance or paying COBRA 1000/month to cover just myself. These are accurate numbers.

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Is that supposed to be some sort of a bargain? That shite is insane

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I pay over 3X that for a family of 4. Where are you getting this “premium” healthcare coverage? Mexico?

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Where are you getting this “premium” healthcare coverage? Mexico?

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My guess is that it’s an Obamacare plan.

It is affordable if you don't have any income. I say this because I retired early at 62 and have been gaming the system for the last 3 years. I put away enough money to live off and only show income for SS, some rental income, and CD income. The ACA subsidies about 75% of my health insurance cost. I also have been cashing in Long Term Capital Gains without paying a cent of income tax, or sometimes very little. If people spent some time learning how taxes and the government dish out funds, you can game quite a bit of value out of it, especially if you retire early and have funds to support yourself until Medicare kicks in at 65.