What were the health and illness of children's in the past like?

Do you know anyone who had health care coverage but whose savings were wiped out anyway due to an illness?

• I am researching health care costs and am trying to determine how big of a problem these can be for people who HAVE insurance. In other words, if someone has insurance, and they experience a major illness, are they mostly covered or do they sometimes still face catastrophe? In particular, for people who are retired, how significant of a concern is this? How important is it for young people to save for future health care costs?

• Answer:

  My husband had to have surgery, we have health care insurance. Our bills totaled over $3000 that the insurance didn't cover. It didn't wipe us out, but it is a struggle to pay the 20% that insurance doesn't cover.