My husband and I are also in this individual/small biz pool.  Always have been.  Before ACA, our Premera Blue Cross plan was prohibitively expensive, and we debated each year whether to keep it.  Then ACA, and the same company offered us a better plan, much cheaper, slightly higher deductable.  Great!  Hooray for the ACA.  Now, we have caught up with the savings from the pre-ACA plan and the increases are again astronomical.  We do have some medical issues, and are in our late 50's, so it could be life threatening to drop, but forget saving for retirement, or expensive vacations.  That all goes for health insurance, and a huge deductable payment.  I don't understand why a mandated NATIONAL LAW can't have a NATIONAL pool.  We are getting screwed and our Congressional delegation hasn't helped beyond whining.