Insurance for Freelance Workers

Finding personal health insurance can be a problem if you're a freelance or telecommuting worker. Many companies hire freelance workers so they won't have to pay benefits to them, such as health and dental insurance. So what is a freelancer to do when it comes to insurance?

Finding Personal Health Insurance

While you may end up paying more for your insurance since you don't belong to a group (usually- I'll share more about this later), you CAN find personal health insurance. Where? The following are good places to start looking:

• Personal Insurance Agent - start with the agency that sells you auto insurance. Many insurance companies sell multiple lines of insurance, including health and life insurance.
• Health Insurance Companies - Many insurance companies will sell individual health insurance policies, but they will often charge you a much higher rate because you aren't part of a group, which drives costs down.
• Internet Insurance Finders - many of these sites offer a searchable base of health insurance providers

• Freelancer Health Insurance - did you know that if you join some freelancer groups, they will offer lower cost health insurance as a perk? This is well worth looking into, even if you have to pay a small membership fee.

It is well worth your while to search for freelancer memberships that offer health insurance as a perk. Groups can get cheaper health insurance and pass it on to the members. If you are leaving a desk job and the comfort of corporate provided health insurance, this may be the answer to your insurance problems. The following freelance worker groups offer health insurance perks:

Media Bistro - for media freelancers. Register on this site for free. Join Avant Garde for $59 and get group health insurance rates.

National Writers Union - join the NWU for $120 to $340 per year, depending upon your income. Gain access to group insurance for health, disability, hospitalization, vision and more.

Be sure that you obtain proof of your current insurance coverage before you leave your current job (assuming you're working for a corporation with health benefits). You may need this when you are looking for new insurance coverage. Some insurance companies will not accept new clients with pre-existing conditions without this proof of insurance.