Here in upstate NY, $20k/year for a mid-30s with family of four gets you a Platinum no-deductible, copay-only plan with a $4k/year out-of-pocket cap (my exact situation - 2016 premium is $1,700/month). Bronze plans are dramatically cheaper, and if you're doing a bare-bones startup you're also likely to be in the income range that gets subsidies.
Subsidies - let's say you pull $70,000 your first year. Your subsidies will be $4,000 per year, so the platinum plan is still $16,000/yr net. After-tax on $70k is $54,000. That means your healthcare premiums alone are 30% of your post-tax income even with the subsidy! That means only $3,150/mo remains for your rent, transportation, food, utilities, etc...
subsidies in Albany are $578/month for an income of $70k, with an average cost of Silver plans being about $500/month post-subsidy. At ~9% of income, that's also tax-deductible spending.
