Comments on: Getting Health Insurance as a Freelancer

By: Josh

Josh — Wed, 25 May 2016 19:37:17 +0000

As others have already mentioned. We too belong to a health share ministry. We haven’t had to use it yet so I cannot compare it to traditional insurance. But our premiums are significantly lower for a family of 3.

Our monthly premium in 2016 was going to be about $550 for a private Bronze-level plan. The Marketplace plans weren’t much cheaper without the tax credit & you are extremely limited on your choice of doctors as well.

By: Dividendsdownunder

Dividendsdownunder — Wed, 25 May 2016 06:15:32 +0000

This is a very good point, being a freelance can make things more complicated, as well as trying to get a loan. We’re lucky in Australia to have a system where we’re mostly covered by the Govt, so if I ever truly go freelance, I still have that health cover. Lots of good tips in there Erin, I enjoyed reading through it and getting the American perspective. :)

Tristan

By: Erin

Erin — Tue, 24 May 2016 17:49:00 +0000

In reply to Lisa@deardollar.com. Glad you enjoyed it, Lisa! Oh no, that's not good, but thanks for sharing. Hopefully they find something a little better. It can be a hassle to deal with insurance providers.

By: Erin

Erin — Tue, 24 May 2016 17:48:03 +0000

In reply to Chonce. Interesting, I'll have to look into it and compare! I think, when you're a freelancer, it makes sense to shop around and figure out what options you have. Even with traditional insurance, employers usually offer a variety of plans, and it's a good idea to run the numbers to see if you should take a plan with a higher premium/lower deductible or lower premium/higher deductible.

By: Erin

Erin — Tue, 24 May 2016 17:46:01 +0000

In reply to John @ Frugal Rules. Sounds like something I need to look into as well. It's so unfortunate that the cost is astronomical for families. Who knows, maybe it will improve down the road, but I won't hold my breath!

By: Erin

Erin — Tue, 24 May 2016 17:44:32 +0000

That’s a very true statement, Jaime! It is risky to go without health insurance; you never know when you might need it.

By: Lisa@deardollar.com

Lisa@deardollar.com — Tue, 24 May 2016 17:06:02 +0000

Great article, it is refreshing to read an article which explores one of the large, common struggles freelancers face when moving from ‘9-5’ jobs to self employment.

I have immediate family members who are self employed and use Kaiser Permanente. It seemed great at first but the longer they have been using the insurance the more dissatisfied they are becoming.