"Private benefits actually aren't that expensive. I just checked ehealthinsurance.com and they quoted $79 a month for me."

The issue here has less to do with the cost of private health insurance, than with whether private health insurance provides the same protection as employer-sponsored health insurance. I have seen this issue come up several times on Hacker News (unfortunately can't find links to the stories I remember). Someone has private health insurance, develops a chronic illness, and loses their health insurance as a result.