Link: Health Insurance for the Self-Employed
Health insurance is a topic about which I feel very, very strongly. I am insured, Kendrick is insured…even Lucy has VPI Pet Insurance. I was uninsured for a short period while I was living in LA because I hadn’t booked anything in a few months, and therefore hadn’t made enough to retain my SAG (Screen Actors’ Guild) coverage. During that time I developed simultaneous bronchitis and sinusitis, and coughed so hard that I literally fractured a rib. My friend Heather opened my front door to find me writhing on the floor in agony, unable to even cry because I couldn’t take a deep enough breath, but I did manage to wheeze out these words: “Don’t call an ambulance!” I knew that if she did call one, I was done for, financially speaking.
Fortunately, the next day I located a walk-in clinic that provided me with relatively cheap medicine for the bronchitis and sinusitis and a sort of wrap-around body cast that helped my rib heal, but…that was a very, very bad situation, and mark my words: you will never see me go uninsured again. No matter what. I learned my lesson, and next time I snap a rib and can’t breathe, you better be damn sure that I’m headed to the hospital.
That said, I am very, very lucky to have a spouse through whom I am insured, and I know all too well that the expense is simply prohibitive for many people who are self-employed (or unemployed). Here is a link that I found via this article from the New York Times (a must-read) that is basically a state-by-state health insurance primer.
Also, you can learn about Obama’s health care plan here. If you’re currently on COBRA, take a moment to look over the new Continuation Coverage Assistance here; you may be paying more than you need to be.
Thanks to reader Leslie for the email about Healthy NY, another great resource for self-employed New Yorkers.
