Self-Employed Health Insurance Options
Being self-employed has its perks. You’re your own boss. You likely have a home office with a flexible schedule. And if you do work at home, you can’t beat the commute.
But when you’re self-employed, your time can feel stretched because you’re doing everything yourself. One prime example—self-employment means you're responsible for finding your own health insurance.
Choosing individual health insurance plans
So where do you begin? If you're self-employed without any employees, you may want to consider individual health insurance plans.
Start shopping by determining your coverage needs:
- Are you looking for a temporary solution or possibly a renewable plan?
- Are you looking for coverage to help pay for doctor visits and annual wellness checks?
- Would you like to include additional products like dental, vision, or critical illness insurance for a well-rounded package?
So what’s the best health insurance for a self-employed individual?
Self-employment and small business insurance or small group insurance
If you are self-employed, do you qualify for small group insurance? The answer is "Maybe," and it depends on rules in your state for insurance purposes. Some states require a small business to have at least one or two employees other than the owner. But other states define a small group or small business to include self-employed individuals.
This designation may make you eligible for other types of health plans than those listed here. To find out more about what types of health plans you might have access to in your state, a good place to start is your state government's website and the small business resources available there.
Individual insurance plans with year-round availability
If you’ve missed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) open enrollment period for the year, or you’re self-employed and just exploring all your options, Golden Rule Insurance Company makes these health insurance and other health-related insurance options available all year-round:
- Short term health insurance plans for temporary health coverage with deductible and coinsuranceF50
- 3-year short term insurance plans are a type of limited duration health insurance in select states offering almost 3 years of coverage.F4
- Hospital & doctor fixed indemnity insurance plans for renewability and help paying for hospital stays or doctor visitsF10
- Accident insurance plans for unexpected medical expenses related to an accident or injury
- Critical illness insurance plans for coverage in the event of a serious illness
- Dental and vision insurance plans for routine visits and health care maintenance
Any combination of these plans can help you as a self-employed individual manage both your health care and your insurance costs.
Your options may not be limited to enrollment periods
Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance plans can be applied for only during specific times throughout the year. Open Enrollment is the months when ACA plans are available. After Open Enrollment has ended, you must have a Qualifying Life Event (QLE), such as marriage, birth of a child, or job transition, to apply for these plans.
This doesn’t mean your options for coverage are limited.
Whether you need health insurance for your family, or just for you, reap the benefits from exploring all of your options. We want to make it easy to shop and apply for different types of medical coverage year-round so you can spend less time worrying, and more time focused on what matters most to you and your business.
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