Saving You Money For Life

Where do the self-employed turn for health insurance these days? It used to depend upon their profession. Professional organizations and associations were once a strong source of health insurance for everyone from actors to writers to contractors to freelance consultants, but those days are quickly fading into memory.

As medical expenses increase, professional associations are finding that the cost of providing group insurance is just too high to continue offering the service to their members. More often, insurance providers are dropping professional associations from their client lists.

This is a heavy issue for members of these associations, especially those who are older or have a history of health problems. Finding a new insurance provider for them will either cost considerably more than they can afford or stamp out their chances of being accepted by a new provider entirely.

At its height, association health coverage was so enticing that it was often used as a tool to recruit members. Robert Laszewski, a Washington-based health policy consultant and former insurance executive, says, “The association business used to be a huge part of the group health insurance business. Now it’s like the buggy-and-whip business – almost entirely gone.”

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