<prompt> Human: Im an unemployed student in the Medicaid gap living in Oklahoma. I am going to school out of my savings. For my 2016 plan, I was paying 150 a month for a plan with a 7k deductible. Now the premiums have almost doubled; the cheapest catastrophicbronze plan is 290 a month and its not even a nice plan; it still has a really high 7k deductible and minimal benefits. Note that Im a 27 year old in excellent heath that doesnt smoke or have any other issues.It would be an enormous strain to pay almost 300month, especially for something that has no real benefit and does not cover me at all unless if something horrible happens. The alternative, however, is to take the risk of being without health insurance; I am terrified of this option since it could mean financial ruin and catastrophic health consequences in event of a car crash or something.Im a bit scared and have no idea what to do...any advice? Thanks.EDIT: Extra details: Im not a full-time student so Im not eligible for any kind of student health plan Im spending all my free time doing unpaid research so I can get into a good PhD program in a year or two, so going out and getting a job that would pay enough to get me out of the medicaid gap is not an option without severely disrupting my life plans. Im not religious so Im not eligible for any of those Christian group plans.EDIT 2: I already have an exemption to the fee due to my complete lack of income. Thanks for the replies!Final EDIT: I believe this comment may be the best answer for me and is what I will likely end up doing. 300month would be about 40 of my current living expenses, and is just ridiculous considering my good health, this low-incomelow-cost area, and the terrible quality of that plan. Something is very very wrong with this system... Thanks to all who replied.Assistant: Remember that health insurance even with a high deductible will let you take advantage of network discounts. If you go to an in-network provider, a 1,000 lab test could have a contracted rate of 150 which is all you would have to pay. The idea that the insurance wont give you any benefit before the 7,000 deductible is not necessarily correct. Human: Excellent point. If I choose to be uninsured Im definitely taking the gamble that any issues that come up will be small enough to heal on my own. Even a moderate problem suddenly becomes completely unaffordable to those without insurance because of the way rates and networks work : Thanks for your reply!  <response>: You could be in an accident the next time you leave your home. Being young and healthy is only part of the issue. Accidents of all kinds happen and they happen fast. 