Self Employed Health Insurance
Wondering where you can get
self employed health insurance plan Looking for ways to save on health insurance costs?
You know that health insurance premiums are escalating year after year. Perhaps you've even wondered whether you should get self employed health insurance or simply get by without one. One thing is for sure. You can not afford to be without health insurance when you're self employed. Precisely because health care costs are so high, one major illness or injury could potentially cause you significant financial losses. You are your most valuable asset, and your family depends on you. True, health insurance premiums could turn out to be one of your bigger expenses. Fortunately, there are solutions to finding self employed health insurance that fits your needs and budget. If you are running a small business with 2 or more employees and are looking for small business health insurance, click here. If you are working solo, consider the following self employed health insurance options: Before you go shopping for self employed health insurance, find out if you and your children are eligible for dependent coverage through your spouse or domestic partner's employer-sponsored health insurance. Employers are legally required to allow uninsured spouses of employees to sign on their spouse's plan immediately, without having to wait for an enrollment period. Keep in mind that not all employers offer dependent coverage, especially these days when companies are trying to scale back on health insurance costs. If so, you may have to pay the full health insurance premium yourself. So check with your spouse / partner's employer to learn more about the company's health plan. Group Health Insurance (Groups of One) To qualify, you must prove that you are in business at least one year with verifiable gross income that is equal to or greater than the cost of annual health insurance premium. Your income may come from one year out of last three consecutive years. You must work at least 24 hours per week, or you could be a single, full-time employee of corporation, LLC, or partnership. Open enrollment period is either: (1) within 30 days after birth date (2) first year anniversary of Group of One status (3) qualifying event such as end of Cobra coverage. Check if your state offers group insurance policy to groups of one. Contact your State Insurance Commissioner, or your independent health insurance agent.
Individual Health Insurance If you do not qualify as a "Business Group of One," you may consider buying individual health insurance. Individual health insurance however is medically underwritten. This means that certain health conditions may be waived (not covered), rated (covered with a set percentage premium increase), or declined. Furthermore, insurers may deny coverage for any pre-existing health conditions that you may have or had prior to the application date of coverage. Additional factors that determine premium rates are based on tobacco use, age, home zip code. There are a number of good reasons though why it is important to consider individual self employed health insurance. One of these is the wide variety of health insurance options available for you to choose from, thus enabling you to find one that best fits your needs. In addition, if you are in relative good health, you may be able to find individual health insurance premiums that are lower than group premiums. To get free, no obligation self employed health insurance quotes, click here. When you buy self employed health insurance, you can sign up for Health Savings Account. Health Savings Account is a relatively new health coverage option. It is not a health insurance plan, but a special tax-sheltered savings account, combined with a high-deductible health plan, that you can use to pay for qualifying medical expenses. You may incur penalties (about 10%) when you withdraw funds from the account for any purpose other than qualifying medical expenses. Unused funds remain in the account and may be invested at your discretion. The account accumulates and earns tax-free interest or investment returns until retirement. Learn more about
Health Savings Account
or find an HSA plan that's right for you. Many trade, professional, alumni associations or chambers of commerce are able to offer health insurance as benefits to their members. And because there is strength numbers, these associations are able to offer group coverage, which could be lower in cost. Note that the plans offered are mostly HMOs as well as basic hospital-surgical policies, disability and long-term insurance. Check to see if any of the associations you belong to offer health insurance. You can also call your State's Department of Labor to get more information about such associations.
High-Risk Pools If you can not get self employed health insurance because you have pre-existing, high-risk, health conditions, you can enroll in your state's high-risk pool. High Risk pool is a special state-created health insurance program that serve as a safety net to people with chronic health conditions and high health risks. With high-risk pool, you have access to comprehensive medical coverage. Premiums, although capped by law, are expensive, typically ranging between 1.5 to 2 times more than similar individual health insurance plan. Like private insurance companies, high-risk pools have a waiting period of 6-12 months on coverage of pre-existing conditions. Sometimes high-risk pools will waive the pre-existing condition exclusion period if you have prior coverage. Currently, there are about 31 states have high-risk pools. Find out if your state is one of them.
If you can not afford the cost of medications, you may apply for prescription assistance. Most pharmaceutical companies offer financial assistance programs to persons who are uninsured. This assistance is available to help you cover the cost of medications and supplies. To qualify for such financial assistance programs, you must meet certain eligibility criteria. To find a list of companies that offer financial assistance program, go to
needymeds.com
Read more on Self-Employed Health Insurance: Health Insurance Cost-Saving Tips for the Self Employed Entrepreneur Tips for Getting Cheap Health Insurance when you're Self employed
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