Health Insurance When You’re Your Own Boss

No HR department, no open enrollment meeting in the break room — but that doesn’t mean going without. The Marketplace was built for exactly this: self-employed, 1099, freelance, and gig workers who buy their own coverage. And with variable income, the subsidy system can work strongly in your favor if you handle it right.

Why the Marketplace Fits Gig Work

Marketplace plans don’t care who your employer is — because you are the employer. Premium help is based on your estimated household income for the year, not on a W-2. Drive rideshare, deliver food, freelance design, contract construction: if nobody offers you a group plan, the Marketplace is your lane.

Estimating Income — the Honest Way

Gig income bounces month to month, so estimate your full-year total as honestly as you can — last year’s taxes are a fine starting point, adjusted for how this year is going. Then keep this rule: report income changes during the year. Earn more than expected? Update it so you don’t owe back premium help at tax time. Earn less? Update it and your help can go up. I’ll show you how the update works — it takes five minutes.

The Deduction Most Gig Workers Miss

Self-employed workers can generally deduct health insurance premiums on their federal taxes — including premiums for a spouse and dependents. That’s on top of any Marketplace premium help. I’m not a tax pro, so run it by yours — but don’t leave it unasked.

What Gig Workers Actually Use

Be honest about your real life when you pick a plan:

• Urgent care and ER access — driving all day and physical gigs mean accidents happen on the job.
• Telehealth between gigs — see a doctor from your car or couch instead of losing a day’s pay in a waiting room.
• Preventive care — annual physicals and screenings cost you nothing extra on Marketplace plans. Use them.
• A real network where you work — if you drive across a metro area, make sure urgent cares near your routes are in-network.

The Gig-Worker Stack

My go-to for self-employed workers: a solid ACA Marketplace plan as the foundation, plus AccidentWise and HospitalWise from Golden Rule (UnitedHealthcare). Here’s why — if you get hurt and can’t work, the bills don’t pause just because your income did. That backup layer is what keeps one accident from becoming a financial spiral.

Available in All Sixteen States

I’m licensed in Florida, Texas, Arizona, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee — and gig work looks the same everywhere: no employer plan, variable income, real risk. The Marketplace rules on this page apply in all six.

How I Can Help

I’m Christopher Horne, a licensed health insurance broker. I work with self-employed folks constantly — here’s what I’ll do:

• Estimate your income right. We’ll build an honest number together so your subsidy is accurate from day one.
• Match the plan to your work. Urgent care access, telehealth, network where you actually drive — not a generic pick.
• Set up income updates. I’ll show you the five-minute process so a good month or slow month never surprises you at tax time.

Open enrollment starts November 1 — and if you’ve had a qualifying life event, we may not need to wait.

A Note From Me

Being your own boss shouldn’t mean being one accident away from broke. Let’s get you covered properly — it’s what I do.

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