Full timers: What do you do for health insurance?

[spectrums_studios]

Between all my selling venues, I'm having enough modest success to contemplate going full time in my business (sometime wayyyyyyyyyy after the Covid era....) But one thing is stopping me in my tracks: what to do about health insurance. 

I'm currently getting health insurance through my day job, but if I go full time into the business, obviously that will be gone. And I'm not comfortable going without ANY health insurance. I can't fall back on a spouse's day-job health insurance, so that's not an option. 

If your business is your sole source of income (ie... no spouse with day job), can you please share what you do about health insurance? Thanks in advance. 

[hotspotauctions]

Why on God's green earth would you quit a job with health insurance to sell on eBay?  

[spectrums_studios]

I'm not just on Ebay  🙂

[silverstatetreasureboxes]

Have you every heard the term.."don't quit your day job?" Please don't, health insurance to privately purchase is very costly anywhere from $600- $900 a month! I'm sure there are cheaper plans but do you really want to start investigating that when you have a plan thru your employer?

[fern*wood]

Unless it gets upended, we have used the ACA (Obamacare) since it began. 

[hotspotauctions]

But if you must, I have insurance though the health exchanges here in California. The insurance plans have high deductibles, and absolutely suck. Finding a doctor on their list that actually accepts it is next to impossible. My wife got breast cancer, and they categorically denied everything. I spent more time on the phone threatening to sue them to get approvals than I did driving my wife around to treatments. I have one of the Silver Enhanced plans, which I think stands for enhanced denials. They have gold and platinum plans for hundreds more a month, that are supposed to be better, but are out of my price range.  If you are over 50, expect prices to be steep. 

[southern*sweet*tea]

This is a timely post.  My husband just "retired" after 26 years with Walmart. (okay, he quit lol) He has Medicare, which is something, but now I don't have health insurance. Fortunately I'm healthy, but I need to start looking for something. I checked on the healthcare.gov website...$500/month just for me with the cheapest, worst plan they have.  That is literally half our income right now. Yeah...not happening.  He may be starting a new job soon, so we'll see.

[tsme35]

No many options, I have the VA, its limited but has gotten better, in MO, you can't get self employed insurance, Obama care is a joke, if you make enough to be worth quitting a day job, premiums are outrageous. Checked it out end of last year and the premium was $500-$800 a month, deductible was $15K to $19K per year and good luck finding a doctor that will take it. Only options is a state back insurance and Cigna, no one takes market place Cigna but will take it from a employer.  I've seen over the years of people posting ebay should try and offer some kind of health insurance but haven't heard of anything going anywhere.

[southern*sweet*tea]

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@tsme35 wrote:

  I've seen over the years of people posting ebay should try and offer some kind of health insurance but haven't heard of anything going anywhere.

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Ebay used to offer health insurance to powersellers, but that was discontinued many years ago.

[queenbuttercup]

I quit my job and sold online full time. I paid the ridiculous COBRA amount because my health insurance is excellent. Otherwise, Obamacare is available. I looked into that but it didn't cover a prescription I needed that is outrageously expensive (over $100,000 per year) due to a pre-existing condition. I am young and otherwise healthy, so if I didn't need that I would go with Obamacare. 

Working part time somewhere that offers benefits is another option. 

eBay used to offer Powersellers health insurance options. I wish they still did. The insurance was good and reasonably priced. 

[silverstatetreasureboxes]

Southern*sweet*tea and to OP, I actually looked into a secondary insurance for my mother who was on Medicare, but you can buy this plan privately also and it was thru Mutual of Omaha plan F...It was the best ever and it cost her about $220 a month. It covered all of her Lasix eye surgery in full, then she had a stroke..covered everything what Medicare didn't..I got rid of her Medicare advantage plan..(it's a joke and so is the "has been" who peddles it). My hubs is a pensioner so I get my BCBS thru G.M. retirees pension. I got to know a lot about different plans while I worked as a home health nurse. Sweet tea, my son still works for Wal-Mart going on 21 yrs and they have the BEST maternity leave for spouses, he got 5 weeks off paid last year and his wife who is also an RN got 2 weeks?

[coffeebean832]

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@southern*sweet*tea wrote:

This is a timely post.  My husband just "retired" after 26 years with Walmart. (okay, he quit lol) He has Medicare, which is something, but now I don't have health insurance. Fortunately I'm healthy, but I need to start looking for something. I checked on the healthcare.gov website...$500/month just for me with the cheapest, worst plan they have.  That is literally half our income right now. Yeah...not happening.  He may be starting a new job soon, so we'll see.

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You should have access to COBRA for a year- the cost will depend on the health insurance plan Walmart offered.

[southern*sweet*tea]

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@coffeebean832 wrote:

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@southern*sweet*tea wrote:

This is a timely post.  My husband just "retired" after 26 years with Walmart. (okay, he quit lol) He has Medicare, which is something, but now I don't have health insurance. Fortunately I'm healthy, but I need to start looking for something. I checked on the healthcare.gov website...$500/month just for me with the cheapest, worst plan they have.  That is literally half our income right now. Yeah...not happening.  He may be starting a new job soon, so we'll see.

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You should have access to COBRA for a year- the cost will depend on the health insurance plan Walmart offered.

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Yeah, I checked on that. $786/mo. Too bad I have ten more years to go before Medicare. Of course, it probably won't be around by then.

Oh well, it is what it is.

[kensgiftshop]

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@fern*wood wrote:

Unless it gets upended, we have used the ACA (Obamacare) since it began. 

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I tried that a few years ago and all I was approved for was family planning.

[vintagecraze50]

Health Insurance Marketplace. As long as your income meets the guidelines to get a cheaper plan. Running a business allows you to do all kinds of tax write offs to get your adjusted income down where you can actually afford an excellent plan without going completely broke paying premiums.