Still waiting on the Senate to save independent professionals? When health care reform was proposed by Barack Obama, it inspired a lot of hope in self employed workers, home-based business owners and freelancers who might otherwise be forced to purchase their own individual insurance policies. Months later, and progress on health care has been slow at best. Would health care reform help the self employed…even if it did actually pass both Houses?
Public Health Care
At the end of one of the country’s most hard-fought Presidential elections, when President Barack Obama emerged from the media circus that ensued, hopes were still very high. Now, it’s a commodity many Americans are afraid they can no longer afford. Working at home without health care is terrifying, potentially very expensive and at best a bad, bad idea. Sadly, many self employed professionals don’t feel they have a choice - not when the health care reform battle continues to be waged on Capitol Hill.
Barack Obama loudly preached for public health care when his reform plans were first announced. Now, it seems like something that’s been put on the back burner. For many self employed professionals, public health care could be the only viable option for health care - and so far, the future of this option is looking pretty grim indeed. As members of the Senate continue to squabble, independent workers see the chance to obtain affordable health care coverage slip further and further away.
Health Care for the Self Employed
There are few options for self employed professionals who want to have health care insurance in the United States of America. Many choose to use a spouse’s insurance plan to get coverage, others do without completely or purchase costly individual plans which offer little coverage. A handful of companies employing freelance workers provide discount insurance plans to their employees, but these plans aren’t at all on par with the more expensive policies offered by large-scale employers.
In continuing efforts to reconcile both sides of the aisle to health care reform, President Obama plans to offer a new proposal in March 2010. The new plan will feature some ideas presented by Republican candidates. Despite the effort, some of the party’s top leaders say that even these changes are not enough, maintaining that the only thing to do with the health care proposal is to start all over again.
For independent professionals who are attempting to live and work in a struggling economy, nothing could inspire less hope. The Senate may have plenty of time to debate the issue, but does the average professional?
KC Morgan - KC Morgan has been the featured writer in Self-Employment since 2006, using personal experience to create guides to being self-employed.
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