I think for a single male in their 20s, which is a pretty common demographic in this forum, health insurance is worth $1/hour. It's not that expensive for healthy, young people and many employers charge you a portion of the premium anyway. I don't really see the big deal for many people. Obviously, milage will vary depending on ones health and medication needs. For families, it matters more, but in corporate america a lot of those expenses are out of pocket. In the government and academic sector, of course it's more valuable. However, I think people completely overrate the "lack of health insurance" as a huge downside to being self-employed or quitting a job. The real killer is the self-employment tax.

-dustyn