I told my students this:…

I told my students this: that I was listening to a financial planner on the radio at one point, and she said the most important thing you can do for your financial stability -- before paying off student loans, or even paying off credit cards -- was to get health insurance. Because if something goes wrong, it can be catastrophic.

I say this as someone who went without health insurance for years in my 20s, before and after grad school, because I was working (as close to full-time as I could possibly get) for temp agencies who wouldn't give me insurance. I bet on being young and healthy, and I was incredibly lucky that the universe didn't call me on that bet.