It was cheaper for my wife and I to maintain separate insurance until the children came along. Now we are on a “Self and Family” plan, which costs three times what either of the “Self Only” plans cost.
So, yeah... The parents are screwed...
What’s nice about “self and family” is that those of us with lots of kids (I have 4) have a bit of a break, as it is the same $ to cover 1 kid as lots of kids. . .
But I’m sure that larger-family benefit will change one day soon. . .