• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Submissions
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • May 18, 2022
  • Startup
    • Creating a Plan
    • Funding a Startup
    • Franchise Center
    • Getting Your Office Ready
    • Making Your Business Official
    • Marketing Your New Business
    • Personal Readiness
  • Run & Grow
    • Customer Service
    • Human Resources
    • Innovation
    • Legal
    • Operations
    • Risk Management
  • Leadership
    • Best Practices
    • Communication
    • Green Initiatives
    • Open Culture
    • Strategic Planning
    • People Skills
  • Sales & Marketing
    • Advertising and Lead Generation
    • Marketing Innovations
    • Marketing Plans
    • Online Marketing
    • Relationships
    • Sales Activities
  • Finance
    • Budgeting and Personal Finance
    • Payments and Collections
    • Tax and Accounting
    • Pricing Strategy
    • Working with Investors
    • Working with Lenders
  • Tech
    • eCommerce
    • Hardware
    • Software
    • Security
    • Tech Reviews
    • Telecom
  • Shop

SmallBizClub

Helping You Succeed

Home / Ask SmallBizClub / Risk / Do you have any suggestions for free health care or affordable health care for the self employed?
Do you have any suggestions for free health care or affordable health care for the self employed?

Do you have any suggestions for free health care or affordable health care for the self employed?

1686 Views

Sep 24, 2013 By Edwin Bevens

Do you have any suggestions for free health care or affordable health care for the self employed?

 
Answer:
Health insurance alternatives: We assume that you do not qualify for any free health insurance plans or benefits under the federal Medicare or Medicaid programs. We are not familiar with any resources for “free” health care in specific localities; however, you can review health care related government assistance programs for low income individuals and families at your state website that may be a consideration in your situation.
 
We do not know your company or your personal budget for health insurance coverage, but the best method to research and evaluate health insurance alternatives is to work with a local, qualified health insurance agent or broker who can help you evaluate alternatives, design a plan and obtain quotes from the insurance companies. It is often important to work with an independent broker who can shop your insurance with several companies and not just one insurance company. Also, small business and other trade associations or organizations often offer insurance programs or broker referrals for their members. In addition to local directories and resources, you can use an Internet search engine to research group and individual health insurance and locate an agent. The following are example websites:
  • Find Affordable Insurance Benefits: communicatingforamerica.org
  • Employer Insurance Solutions: digitalinsurance.com
  • Business Insurance: insurancestart.com
  • Insurance Quote Comparison: mostchoice.com
Self-employed individuals and small business owners do have health insurance alternatives, though finding affordable and comprehensive health, dental and other insurance coverage for a particular individual or employee group can often be a challenge depending on pre-existing conditions and other factors.
 
Also, health insurance costs vary widely based on a number of factors. For example, group medical insurance premiums vary depending upon the type of plan (HMO, PPO, etc), deductibles, coverage, age and health of the employee group, and other factors. In addition, most businesses require employees to contribute towards the cost, often up to 50% or more, which adds to the affordability issue.
 
With respect to group health insurance, state laws affecting access to small group health insurance vary and companies have some discretion in establishing participant qualifications based on hours worked and job classifications. You can review your state and other general group health insurance information at the following websites:
  • In-Depth Guide to Health Insurance: healthinsuranceindepth.com
  • Consumer Guide to Group Health Insurance: nahu.org
  • Health Coverage Guide: healthcoverageguide.org
In terms of alternatives, while the business structure can affect the tax treatment of fringe benefit plans and the IRS has various rules with respect to accident and health plans in particular, one type of plan that is popular with self-employed business owners is a Section 105 HRA or medical reimbursement plan. A Section 105 medical reimbursement plan is any plan or arrangement established in accordance with Internal Revenue Code Section 105 under which an employer reimburses an employee for uninsured health or accident expenses incurred by the employee or their dependents. Section 105 allows a 100% deduction for health insurance premiums and even allows companies to write off other non-insured medical, dental and vision expenses as well.
 
Employees, including owner-employees, must draw a regular W-2 salary or wages from the business in order to qualify as employees under the IRS rules, but in most situations employers and employees can save Federal, State and Local income taxes, FICA (Social Security and Medicare) taxes, workers’ compensation, unemployment taxes, and state disability insurance (where applicable) payroll taxes with a Section 105 plan. Due to the IRS limitations on health insurance and other medical expense deductions for the self-employed, a self-employed business owner who can legitimately employ his or her spouse as a W-2 employee and provide him or her with health insurance coverage through the business, which includes dependent coverage for the owner and other family members, will find a Section 105 plan particularly appealing. However, it is important to note that more than 2% of S-Corp owner-employees generally cannot participate in a Section 105 plan, and if they do, any benefits provided under the plan to the owner-employee and his or her spouse and dependents must be included in the owner-employee’s W-2 compensation as taxable wages.
 
While you can review information on Section 105 plans yourself, your tax advisor, a local health insurance broker or agent or a Section 105 plan sponsor, like one of those found at the websites included below, can help you determine if a Section 105 plan is a viable alternative under your circumstances.
  • Section 105 Plan Information: nwhin.com
  • BASE Health Reimbursement Agreement: baseoneline.com
  • Section 105 HRA Plans for the Self-Employed: coredocuments.com
Even if a Section 105 plan is not an option, provided all of the IRS qualifications for claiming the self-employed health insurance deduction are met, self-employed business owners (i.e. sole proprietors, partners, shareholder-employees of S corps, and LLC members) can generally deduct 100% of the cost of their medical insurance premiums, including coverage for their spouse and dependents, as an adjustment to gross income on their personal tax return, Form 1040. You can review IRS information on the Self-Employed Health Insurance Deduction here (see Self-Employed Health Insurance Deduction).
 
Another option is the Health Savings Account (HSA) approach. The HSA approach provides an opportunity for cash savings by combining a high deductible health insurance policy with an IRA type savings account that individuals can use to fund their out-of-pocket medical and dental expenses.
With an HSA plan, an individual purchases an HSA qualified high deductible health insurance policy, also referred to as an HDHP, and then establishes an HSA with a bank or other authorized provider. The individual then funds the HSA in an amount up to the IRS annual limit (see website below for the
2013 limits) and then uses the funds in the HSA to pay for qualified medical expenses that are not covered by the HDHP. Except in very limited circumstances, the funds held in an HSA cannot be used to pay the premiums for the HDHP. Subject to the IRS rules, contributions made to the HSA are tax deductible, earnings on those contributions grow tax-free, and distributions from the account are tax-free provided they are used to pay for qualified medical expenses. Also, the right HSA plan program has to include a good PPO so that costs have been pre-negotiated with the health care providers. For more information, you can review HSA discussions and search for HSA providers in the Yellow Pages or on the Internet. The following are example discussions:
  • 2013 HSA Contribution Details: hsacenter.com
  • Tax Forms and Instructions (HRA): irs.gov
  • Health Savings Accounts: mayoclinic.com
  • Affordable Health Care Tips: americanhealthvalue.com
If cost is a major constraint, you could look at a catastrophic coverage plan with a very high deductible and relatively low cost and supplement that coverage with a health discount card that would provide PPO discounts. For as little as $15 to $20 per month, you can get significant discounts on healthcare costs through participation in a PPO. While this is not insurance, it is an excellent way to contain costs for those without adequate coverage. For an example, go here.
 
Related discussions:
  • Health Insurance vs. Medical Discount Plans: googobits.com
  • Discount Health Plans vs. Health Insurance: Pros and Cons: thesmarterwallet.com
  • Discount Plan vs. Health Insurance: ftc.gov
  • Discount and Health Savings Plans: smartconsumergroup.com
2. Federal individual mandate. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) includes an individual mandate that may also be a consideration in your search for affordable health insurance. You can review the following state and industry information that explains the individual mandate and the potential penalties for not having health insurance that start in 2014 and the federal and state health insurance exchanges designed to help individuals buy affordable health insurance:

  • Federal Health Insurance Exchange Guidelines Released: about.com
  • Health Insurance Subsidy Calculator: healthreform.kff.org
  • Requirement to Buy Coverage under the Affordable Care Act: kff.org
  • Individual Mandate of the Healthcare Law: nfib.com

Filed Under: Risk

Edwin Bevens

Edwin Bevens

Edwin Bevens is Editor of SmallBizClub.com, and specializes in communications for Tarkenton Companies in a variety of media. He develops, produces, and maintains content across a wide range of channels. With a background in journalism and publishing, Edwin focuses on helping small business owners find the right match of voice, audience, and medium for every message.Connect with him on Google +

Related Posts

  • What are the adv/dis of a “Strategic Alliance”?
  • Are there any plans that are HSA compatible and also Obamacare compatible?

Primary Sidebar

From the Editor’s Desk…

Small Biz Gems

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
A lecturer, poet, and essayist, Ralph Waldo Emerson was the leading voice of the New England Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century, which valued insight over logic while also advocating for humanity’s inherent goodness. This revelation comes from the closing paragraph of “Circles,” a chapter in his 1841 book Essays, First Series.

“I insist on a lot of time being spent, almost every day, to just sit and think. I read and think. So I do more reading and thinking, and make less impulse decisions than most people in business.”  —Warren Buffet

 

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”  —Thomas Edison

 

 

“You can’t ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.”  —Steve Jobs

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
Subscribe to our Mailing List

Run & Grow

3 Most Devastating Small Business Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)

May 17, 2022 By SmallBizClub

7 Ways to Improve Your Fleet Management Workflow

May 16, 2022 By Eleanor Hecks

Business Continuity: Everything You Need to Know

May 14, 2022 By SmallBizClub

 Learning Strategies to Help Your Employees Get Hooked

May 13, 2022 By Becky Wilson

Footer

About Us

Small Biz Club is the premier destination for small business owners and entrepreneurs. To succeed in business, you have to constantly learn about new things, evaluate what you’re doing, and look for ways to improve—that’s what we’re here to help you do.

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2022 by Tarkenton Institute, Inc. All Rights Reserved | Terms | Privacy