Just wondering what everyone does for health insurance. I am in Arkansas and I can get coverage through the Marketplace (government) but it is really expensive if you make a decent living. What are you guys using? I am 56 so I know it won’t be cheap but this has been my biggest hurdle to going full time,
I was self employed my entire working career. If you’re making a decent income and no longer qualify for Affordable Care Act discounts, health insurance is incredibly expensive. Set your inspection rates with that cost in mind. It’s the way it is in the States. Going without is like playing Russian Roulette with three bullets in the cylinder of the revolver.
This is a huge issue for the self-employed! I was fortunate to have a wife with a good job where she could insure us both! Health insurance is just flat-out expensive, and the cheaper plans provide less coverage and higher deductibles! We have friends that swear by Healthshare plans. This might be something to look into if you are in fairly good health.
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Play the healthcare lotto like most self-employed people.
Well said.
If health insurance is an concern, think about working for a larger multi inspection firm that provides coverage, or just make enough to get by and get government coverage at a cheap rate. I’m fortunate to have a wife with good coverage. You can also go without coverage and use a telehealth provider, the rates are fairly reasonable and use goodrx for prescriptions. You only have just over 10 years before you qualify for Medicare.
There are also health coverage plans you can find that offer group coverage for self employed people cheaper than a government plan.
Health coverage is a business write-off so having coverage will lower your reportable income.
If you are a new inspector, your income will be almost zero for the first few years anyways.
We don’t do insurance at all and if we decide to scale up to a multi, I don’t think we will ever offer it. Our family has been cash-pay for the last 7 years. We are very active and healthy people so it is so much cheaper for us to NOT have it. We are just about to have our third child any day now and our total expenses are going to be way less than the copays and premiums from when we had coverage for our first two! There are more options for financial assistance and you typically get an automatic 50% off if you are paying out of pocket. The health insurance industry is a complete racket. Probably not super helpful to the OP, but I have a passionate disdain for the health care system 
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Health insurance is Medicare. Before that I put the Wife to work hooking to pay for a good policy! Damn she was good we even ate a lot of steak then too!
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Yes but having them Bambino’s in the back seat of a car isn’t the best way to go!!
I share your opinion of the health care industry and health insurance industry.
Early in my working life, I worked in a hospital as an orderly and later an ER technician. The way uninsured patients were treated created a commitment that I would never go without health insurance in the States. Much later in life, I had a condition that would have cost me 100% of my income for several years. Although the insurance deductible was high, I received the best of care and am alive today. One of my kids required an air ambulance, $25,000 at the time for the ride alone. Unfortunately, in the States, we don’t have “Medicare for all”, so be responsible and carry health insurance. It’s how we decided to set up the system in the States.
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Check out Chubb, it is an InterNACHI partner and has some good options within it…
Health insurance is the biggest roadblock to entrepreneurship in the US, and I’ve been saying that for a long time now. Health insurance needs to be separated from employment status. There is absolutely no reason why we should have to depend on an employer for health care. There is no reason why employers should have to figure the cost of health care into their operating expenses. The whole idea of tying health care to employment is fraught with potholes. And we are all dropping tens of thousands of dollars into those potholes trying to fill them.
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Health insurance for self-employed families is out of control. For a successful home inspector making 100k (that’s higher than the average home inspector) you are typically spending 19-28% of your income on health and medical expenses. At around 120k net income you are paying 22k to 32k for your family’s medical expenses. Unless you are killing it (over $300k), and/or have a spouse contributing, a very large percentage of your annual income is going to medical expenses. 3x what employees at the same income are paying. In the USA, the tax structure and the medical insurance rates really squeeze the hard-working solo inspector.
Here is a chart of what families typically pay in the USA for medical insurance and care including dental in my state.
| Family income | Typical covered household | Self-employed couple, 53, Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | $0–$400 (0–4%) | Coverage gap, or $0–$1,000 if subsidized (0–10%) |
| $20,000 | $200–$800 (1–4%) | $0–$1,500 with subsidy (0–8%) |
| $30,000 | $500–$1,500 (2–5%) | $1,000–$2,500 (3–8%) |
| $40,000 | $1,500–$3,500 (4–9%) | $2,000–$4,000 (5–10%) |
| $50,000 | $2,500–$4,500 (5–9%) | $3,000–$5,500 (6–11%) |
| $60,000 | $4,000–$6,000 (7–10%) | $4,000–$7,000 (7–12%) |
| $80,000 | $5,500–$8,000 (7–10%) | $6,000–$12,000 (8–15%) |
| $100,000 | $6,500–$9,500 (6.5–9.5%) | $19,000–$28,000 (19–28%) |
| $120,000 | $7,000–$10,500 (6–9%) | $22,000–$32,000 (18–27%) |
| $140,000 | $7,500–$11,000 (5–8%) | $22,000–$32,000 (16–23%) |
| $160,000 | $8,000–$12,000 (5–7.5%) | $22,000–$32,000 (14–20%) |
| $200,000 | $8,500–$13,000 (4–6.5%) | $23,000–$33,000 (12–17%) |
| $250,000 | $9,000–$14,000 (3.5–5.5%) | $23,000–$33,000 (9–13%) |
| $300,000 | $9,000–$15,000 (3–5%) | $24,000–$34,000 (8–11%) |
| $400,000 | $10,000–$16,000 (2.5–4%) | $24,000–$34,000 (6–9%) |
| $500,000 | $10,000–$17,000 (2–3.5%) | $24,000–$34,000 (5–7%) |
| $600,000 | $11,000–$18,000 (2–3%) | $24,000–$34,000 (4–6%) |
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Go to: Vendor Offers - InterNACHI® and search health insurance.
It’s also out of control for W2 families. The main difference is that their employer is diverting some of their pay towards health insurance, so it becomes the out of sight, out of mind deal.
Marketplace (Obamacare, if you will) insurance does offer some of the same advantages of corporate “group buying” healthcare. Meaning, the “Marketplace” gets us somewhat of a discount relative to the old way of simply calling up an insurance company and buying coverage. This discount is similar (but not exactly the same) as corporations get for their employees.
So, the Marketplace was a step forward at least, in that regard.
It is a tax free benefit. I love those.
Agreed. The market is intentionally closed by the gatekeepers, which are the insurance companies. Falls in step with big pharma.
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It is for self-employed persons as well. Health insurance premiums are fully deductible for purposes of income tax. However, they do not reduce FICA taxes, unfortunately.
I get it. My son works for a medium-sized company and sometimes complains about medium-sized pay. I remind him to factor in his company vehicle, workers’ comp, and health insurance for his family. He typically calms down after that. 
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The last W2 job I had, each year at raise time they would give us the full breakdown of our compensation. That included our pay of course, but also what the company was paying to others on our behalf. It was eye-opening.
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Here is just a quick breakdown of our current situation. All research performed purely by AI searches, as a disclaimer…
Approx. US Federal government current cost of subsidizing health insurance - $2.4 trillion.
Approx. US state government’s current cost of subsidizing health insurance - $350 billion.
Approx. total cost of US citizens in private health insurance premiums - $1.78 trillion.
Total spent by US taxpayers on healthcare insurance (just insurance, not total healthcare costs)..
$4.53 Trillion
That is just for insurance, and does not include out of pocket expenses.
Now,
Projected total cost to US taxpayers for universal, taxpayer funded health coverage..
Approx. $3 trillion annually.
So, by these basic numbers, we can see why every single other developed country has adopted a universal healthcare approach. We are going to be there eventually as well. There is no other option.
And politicians (many who retire and then become lobbyist)… whom may I add, have great insurance that is paid for so they don’t really give a crap.
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