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Self-employed?
Buy your own health plan in one call.
No employer, no group plan, no problem. A licensed agent walks you through private plans you can buy directly, any time of year.
Keep your doctors See any specialist Apply any month No lock-in
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What's your household income?
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Plans and prices vary by state.
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Buying on your own, explained
A licensed agent can help you compare private plans without an employer plan.
Start on your own
You do not need an employer or the government site to get covered.
Compare private plans
A licensed agent quotes real private plans available in your state.
Enroll if one fits
If you like a plan, you can enroll during the same call.
If your income qualifies you for large Marketplace subsidies, healthcare.gov may cost you less. Our agents will tell you if that is the case.
Why people choose PPO plans
Skip the insurance jargon. Here's what a PPO actually gets you:
Keep the doctors you already have
Give the agent your doctors' names. They check that each one takes the plan before you enroll.
See a specialist without a referral
No gatekeeper, no permission slip. If you need a back doctor or a heart doctor, you book the visit.
Know your costs before you go
Many plans use flat copays for everyday visits, so you know the price walking in, not after the bill.
Coverage that travels with you
Broad nationwide networks work at home, across state lines, and when you move.
Plan details vary by carrier, plan, and state: a licensed agent can confirm what applies to you.
Missed open enrollment? You still have options.
Private PPO plans have no enrollment window.
When do you need coverage to start?
Already without coverage, or about to be? Ask what you may qualify for and which start dates may be available.
Coverage often starts the next day.
These private plans are medically underwritten: approval is not guaranteed, and how a plan treats pre-existing conditions varies. A licensed agent can tell you what you qualify for.
Comprehensive ACA marketplace plans are generally available only during the annual open enrollment period or a special enrollment period; visit healthcare.gov for details. Cancellation terms vary by carrier and plan.
Tell the agent when your coverage ends, or that it has already ended.
Talk to a licensed agent now(833) 350-6449Free · No obligation · Mon-Fri, 9 AM to 6 PM ET
From call to covered, minute by minute
When a plan fits, you can go from hello to enrolled in one call, in as little as 10-15 minutes.
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Minute 0
Call and say what you need
A licensed agent picks up. Lost coverage, missed a deadline, leaving a job: start wherever you are.
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Minute 1
Answer a few quick questions
Your age, zip, the doctors you want to keep, and a monthly budget that feels doable. About 3 minutes.
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Minute 4
They search while you hold
A short hold while they pull up the plans you qualify for.
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Minute 6
Compare your options
They walk you through real plans with real prices. They can check that your exact doctors are in network, by name.
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Minute 15
Enroll before you hang up
E-sign from a text link on your phone. Digital ID cards often arrive by email the same day, and coverage can start as soon as the next day.
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Plans from top carriers
Availability varies by state and product; plans are not available in all states.
You talk to a real licensed agent, never a bot or an unlicensed rep.
Everything you share travels over an encrypted connection.
Comparing plans costs nothing and you decide if you enroll.
Coverage is offered through licensed agents: SPARKM LLC with Champion Benefits Group, National Producer Number 20874871. View licensing details
Free · No obligation · Mon-Fri, 9 AM to 6 PM ET
Health insurance when you work for yourself
When you are self-employed, there is no HR department picking a plan and no employer paying part of the premium. You choose the coverage, you pay for it, and it belongs to you. That is more work up front, and it is also the advantage: a plan you buy yourself does not end when a contract ends, a client leaves, or you change what your business does.
Most self-employed people get coverage one of three ways. They buy an ACA marketplace plan through healthcare.gov during an enrollment window. They buy a private individual plan directly from an insurance carrier through a licensed agent, which for healthy applicants is typically available any month of the year. Or they join a spouse's employer plan during that plan's enrollment period. If you just left a job, a fourth option exists for a while: continuing your old employer plan through COBRA.
This page walks through how those routes compare for freelancers, contractors, and business owners, where private PPO plans fit, and the honest trade-offs. If you want the full detail on how private plans and medical underwriting work, our private PPO plans page covers it in depth.
Just left a job, or about to? Your three coverage routes
COBRA lets you continue the exact plan you had at work, usually for up to 18 months. Same network, same deductible progress, same coverage for any treatment already underway, which is why COBRA is often the right answer for someone in the middle of care. The catch is the price: you pay the full premium your employer used to share, plus an administrative fee, and many people see the real cost of their coverage for the first time.
The marketplace treats losing job-based coverage as a qualifying life event. That opens a special enrollment period, generally for 60 days, so you can buy an ACA plan even outside the annual window. Marketplace plans accept applicants regardless of health history; details and dates are at healthcare.gov.
A private underwritten plan is the third route. For generally healthy people it typically enrolls year-round, often starts quickly, and many options use PPO networks. The trade-off is medical underwriting: the carrier asks health questions, approval is not guaranteed, and pre-existing conditions are generally excluded or limited.
Practical takeaway: if you are mid-treatment, price out COBRA first. If your health history is significant, use your special enrollment period. If you are generally healthy and want coverage that outlasts the 18-month COBRA clock, a private plan is worth a phone call to compare.
What actually changes when you go from W-2 to 1099
Three things change, and only one of them is bad. The bad one first: nobody is contributing to your premium anymore. Employers typically pay a large share of group coverage, and as a contractor that share is now yours.
The second change is ownership. A job-based plan is tied to the job: leave, get laid off, or watch the company switch carriers, and your coverage changes with it. A plan you buy yourself stays put while clients and contracts come and go. For people who change gigs often, that stability is the whole point.
The third is choice. Instead of the one or two options an employer picked, you choose the carrier, the network, and the deductible. Contractors who travel or serve clients in more than one state often weight network breadth heavily, which is why PPO plans with wide carrier networks come up so often in this market. Network size still varies plan by plan, so it is a thing to verify, not assume.
Premiums, taxes, and uneven income
Two money questions come up on almost every self-employed call. The first is taxes: many self-employed people can deduct health insurance premiums for themselves and their families. Whether you qualify depends on how your business is set up and whether it shows a profit, and the rules have real edges. Treat this paragraph as general information, not tax advice, and ask a tax professional what applies to your return.
The second is variable income. A premium is a fixed monthly bill, and freelance income is not fixed, so plan design matters. A higher deductible generally buys a lower monthly premium, which suits people who want a smaller fixed cost and can absorb more of a bad month. A richer plan costs more every month but caps surprises. There is no universally right answer; there is a right answer for how your cash flow actually behaves, and that is a five-minute conversation with a licensed agent, not a guess.
One thing premiums do not do on private plans: move with your income. Marketplace premium help is income-based and reconciles at tax time; a private plan's premium is set by the plan you chose, not by what you earned that quarter. Some people find that simpler, some do better with the marketplace's help. It depends on the year you expect to have.
Who private plans fit when you work for yourself
Private underwritten plans are a strong tool for some self-employed shoppers and the wrong tool for others. The split usually comes down to two things: your health history and the kind of income year you expect.
Often a good fit if you are:
- ✓A generally healthy freelancer, contractor, or business owner paying for your own coverage
- ✓Recently off a W-2 plan and comparing COBRA against buying your own
- ✓Working with clients in more than one state and want broad PPO network reach
- ✓Past the marketplace window without a qualifying life event, and healthy enough to underwrite
Probably not the right fit if you:
- ✗Manage an ongoing condition that needs covered treatment now
- ✗Expect a lower-income year where marketplace premium help would do real work
- ✗Want coverage that cannot decline you based on your health answers
If that sounds like your year, take the marketplace route at healthcare.gov or your state's marketplace: acceptance regardless of health history, covered pre-existing conditions, and premium help when your income qualifies.
We would rather say this on the page than cost you an afternoon. When a private plan is the wrong tool for your situation, an agent will tell you so directly.
Self-employed health insurance FAQs
Is there health insurance for 1099 contractors?
Yes. Contractors and freelancers buy the same individual health plans as everyone else: marketplace plans at healthcare.gov, or private underwritten plans through a licensed agent, many built on PPO networks. No W-2, benefits department, or business entity is required. The plan is sold to you as a person, and it stays yours from contract to contract.
Do I need an LLC or a registered business to get self-employed health insurance?
No. Individual health plans, marketplace or private, are sold to you as a person, not to your business. Sole proprietors, gig workers, and freelancers with no formal entity buy the same plans as an LLC owner. Business structure can matter for how premiums are treated at tax time, which is a question for a tax professional, but it does not gate whether you can buy coverage.
Can I enroll mid-year, or do I have to wait for open enrollment?
Private underwritten plans typically enroll year-round, so a healthy applicant can apply in any month. Marketplace plans generally require the annual open enrollment window or a special enrollment period triggered by a life event such as losing job-based coverage, moving, or a household change. If you just left a job, that event usually opens a window of about 60 days; check your dates at healthcare.gov.
Is COBRA or a private plan better after leaving a job?
It depends on what you need the coverage to do. COBRA keeps your exact plan, network, and deductible progress, which is valuable mid-treatment, and it costs the full premium plus a fee, with a time limit of usually 18 months. A private plan is a fresh application with health questions, and for healthy people it can be a longer-term home rather than a bridge. Many people price both before deciding, which is exactly what a licensed agent can do on one call.
Can I deduct my health insurance premiums?
Many self-employed people can deduct premiums for themselves, a spouse, and dependents, subject to rules about business profit and eligibility for other coverage. The details depend on your situation and change with tax law, so confirm with a tax professional. Nothing on this page is tax advice.
What happens if my income changes during the year?
A private plan's premium does not move with your income: it is set by the plan, your age, your location, and who is covered. Marketplace premium help does move with income and is reconciled on your tax return, which can mean repaying some of it after a strong year. People with volatile income sometimes prefer the predictability of a fixed premium; people expecting a lean year often do better with marketplace help. Run both numbers for the year you actually expect.
Can I cover my spouse and kids on a self-employed plan?
Yes. Individual coverage is sold for one person or a household, and family options exist on both marketplace and private plans. On medically underwritten plans, each covered family member typically answers health questions, so approval and terms are assessed per person. An agent can quote you both ways, alone and as a family, so you can compare.
I work with clients in several states. Will my coverage travel with me?
This is a network question, and it is the main reason self-employed shoppers gravitate to PPO plans. Some private PPO options use broad national carrier networks that work across state lines; other plans are built around regional networks. Before you enroll, tell the agent where you actually work and travel, and have them confirm how the specific plan handles care in those places.
About this service
This page connects you with licensed insurance agents; calls are answered by licensed insurance agencies, not by this website's operator. You can review licensing details and the companies involved at any time. Comparing plans is free and carries no obligation.
Last reviewed: August 2026