what you really don't want is to be on the hook for a percentage of the bill with no cap.
today's medical costs, the bogus hugely inflated stuff we see on our bills, that gets paid at 30-40% by insurance,
well with no insurance they want you to pay for the inflated part.
my hospital bill in NC was about half a million.  I was not billed for one cent.
needless to say, I am so far ahead of the game here, hard to fault what I'm paying now.
With my routine primary and three specialty docs, I'm sure I cost insurance companies well over 10 grand a year, based
on all the scans they routinely order on me. And that's if I'm avoiding operations. 
Which is getting harder to do...
remember my story where when I called the local hospital to complain about the bill, which was hugely inflated, a 
terrible tooth/jaw infection on Christmas Eve, not covered by Medicare.  So I got the inflated bill and my 35 minutes in that outpatient 
facility got billed at over 1300 bucks.  Was told "oh, if you ask, we can always knock off a third".  Really.
Well by time I paid the bill it was 700 something, still ridiculous, but I didn't want a lien.
teeth and feet poorly covered by Medicare, if you have issues, maybe consider a plan that will actually pay you back.
Prayers sent Ted.  I'm seeing my primary this afternoon to get an epidural asap on lower back.
if they say it's too bad to operate on, at least numb the heck out of it.
I've had about a dozen on neck and back.  Found they last about six months, sometimes more.
but it's like that diet and exercise part you always get lectured on, you also have to chill out that section of the body
to let it heal.  I'm sure Dona is giving her polo pony a rest... 
