Trouble with going bare is you are subject to the "full price" for any services. It can be many multiples of the insurance company negotiated rates.

When 1poorMIL came here, she was already over 65. Not eligible for Medicare, and no insurance company would touch her for any price (because of age, not any condition at that time). So I learned there are a lot of providers that don't take insurance, and their prices are similar to insurance-priced visits. Labs that had menus of tests with the costs listed for each. Some providers even give you a discount if you DON'T use insurance (I presume less hassle and paperwork for them). In one weird instance, a med was actually cheaper if we didn't run it through insurance.

Transparency is pricing is a big problem when you invoke insurance, IMO.

We have a high deductible plan (bronze), which I only have "just in case" something really bad happens. Routine stuff I expect to pay out of pocket.