i'd highly recommend your wife go to work. for $500 a month in most areas all you'll get is a 5k deductible. i was paying 1k amonth 3 years ago with no end in sight so my wife went to work at a school and now we have great ins for $180 amonth
but surdo do the math. if it rises 20-25% a year which many ahve for the past 10 years thats $400 in 5 years. now do the math if you were mid 30's family paying 1k amonth . next years $1200 then $1440 then $1740 then $2100. in 5 years from 1k to $2100
The US healthcare crisis is a nightmare. Sooner or later it affects all of us if you live long enough.
In nyc I found atlantis health care. Under $300 / month for a single. Its cheaper than the cost offered by UNH that my firm gets. check it out It is actually cheaper than my cobra payments were from Madison. www.atlantishp.com