If your friend scored the $70,000 surgery before MLA’s insurance plan dumped him, he at least came out somewhat ahead.

Now they can’t drop you for using the insurance, but what they CAN do is drop a whole “group” that includes you. When they do that, I’m pretty certain, they drop everyone in the group and then they quietly cherrypick back the ones who aren’t costing them. My experience with private insurance was that every time I went to the doctor, within a month or two I was told my “group” was being dropped and to re-up I had to pay a higher premium.

Years ago, I suggested to an insurance-less pal, who knew he would need major surgery eventually, that he join the Modern Language Association for the group insurance. He did, but got dropped after a $70,000 operation (this was 20 years ago).

Also, sometimes alumni associations have decent short-term insurance. A divorced friend did that.

i told my son–who will be w/out insurance when he graduates college–to find a wife in France, but so far he hasn’t done so.

This is some messed-up system.