[quote=Hobie]You’re not.
All of the self employed folks purchase health insurance on the open market at market price. Which is very high when compared to employer group policies.[/quote]
It’s only “very high” if the applicant has “pre-existing conditions.” HOWEVER, the lower-priced individual policies have MUCH higher co-pays and deductibles than a typical employer-sponsored policy. I’m referring to PPO’s here. Not sure if HMO’s are actually more expensive on the open market for a healthy person as opposed to an employer policy because the healthy person is “underwritten” as an individual-policy applicant. An “employee” is not. This “underwriting” requirement will go away in 2014 under HCRA.
In any case, an employer usually pays at least 60% of the monthly premium and charges the employee for the balance. Some employers even subsidize the policies of the employees’ immediate family members. A individual policy holder has to pay 100% of the premium but has far more choice in the type of coverage (and providers avail to them) than does an “employee” (who has to accept the plan(s) their employer offers).
