Insurance is for the bigger, more expensive problems that we can't know when/if they will happen, just like car insurance is for accidents. My husband was fond of saying he could afford a broken arm but not a heart transplant :-) When I was self-insured I had to pay $400-$500 a month and my deductible was so large that I never met it. How much the doctor can bill is governed by insurance whereas if one doesn't have it the fee is much larger; one is part of a group with insurance so gets the group rate.