Major lesson in health insurance

It seems like it's easy to dismiss the importance of health insurance when you're in your 20s and healthy. But I learned the importance of having insurance about two months after I graduated from college. It was the first time in my life that I was uninsured because I was still trying to find a job and no longer covered by my student status. Sure enough, I was hit with a pretty serious kidney infection that ended me up in the emergency room. I had struggled several days with an aching back and mounting fever. And because I'd waited so long it then became an emergency situation. The doctors said I had a temp of 104 degrees and that had I waited any longer could've had severe dehydration and other issues. Thankfully, I recovered with no issues. It took me nearly two years to pay off that little trip to the emergency room. But ever since then, I've been paranoid about not being covered and have made it a priority. It's a bummer that insurance is so expensive, but it's such a roll of the dice to not have it. You never know what could happen. A medical event could seriously set you back financially.