My wife and I segued fro the corporate sector and had private insurance. My wife developed lung cancer and the initial treatment was paid, after that we were dropped and couldn't get health insurance because of her preexisting condition. We lived in abject fear for 3 years that we would lose everything we had built over our careers and would not be able to afford treatment if it came to that, until the ACA was passed and we were able to get health insurance again.