Resources
Coverage, explained without the jargon
Guides for people who buy their own insurance — and the only legislation tracker built for group health buying.
AHP Legislation Tracker: Where H.R. 6703 and S. 1847 Stand
A continuously updated, sourced status page for the federal bills that would legalize cross-industry group health buying for freelancers and small businesses.
Read the tracker49 articles
The Self-Employed Person's Guide to Health Insurance in 2026
Every real option for freelancers and 1099 workers — ACA plans, spouse coverage, COBRA, and what to avoid — with the tax angles explained.
Read articleLevel-Funded Health Plans, Explained for Small Business Owners
The funding model that sits between fully-insured and self-funded — how it works, who it fits, and the refund math nobody explains.
Read articleWhy Group Size Is Negotiating Power in Health Insurance
The actuarial and economic reasons big employers pay less — and how organized groups of freelancers can start capturing some of that leverage.
Read articleYour ACA Open Enrollment Checklist (Plan Year 2027)
Dates, documents, and the five decisions that matter most when picking a marketplace plan — plus special enrollment triggers if you can't wait.
Read articleICHRA vs. Group Health Insurance: What's Best for Your Small Business?
Individual Coverage HRAs let you fund employees' own marketplace plans instead of running a group plan. Here's how the two models actually compare on cost, control, and effort.
Read articleHow to Compare ACA Marketplace Plans: A Step-by-Step Guide
Premiums are only a third of the story. A practical, jargon-free method for comparing marketplace plans on total cost, network, and drug coverage.
Read articlePortable Benefits: The Other Fix the Gig Economy Is Waiting For
Group buying is one path; benefits that follow the worker are another. Where portable-benefits experiments stand.
Read articleHealth Insurance for the Self-Employed in Texas: What to Know
Texas uses the federal marketplace, which means live plan comparison works statewide. How Texans shop smart, from Dallas to the border.
Read articleFlorida's ACA Marketplace: A Guide for Freelancers and Families
Florida leads the nation in marketplace enrollment. What that competition means for your premiums, and the traps to avoid.
Read articleNorth Carolina Health Coverage for Independent Workers
Medicaid expansion changed the math in North Carolina. Where freelancers and small businesses fit now.
Read articleGeorgia Access: How Georgia's Marketplace Works Now
Georgia moved to its own exchange platform. What changed for shoppers, and what stayed the same.
Read articleArizona Health Insurance for Freelancers and Gig Workers
Phoenix's gig economy runs on independent workers. How Arizona's federal marketplace serves them.
Read articleOhio Small Business Health Coverage: Group, Level-Funded, or ICHRA?
Ohio's stable insurance market gives small employers three real paths. How to pick between them.
Read articlePennsylvania's Pennie Exchange: What Shoppers Should Know
Pennsylvania runs its own marketplace, Pennie. How that changes the shopping experience for independents.
Read articleMichigan Health Coverage for the Self-Employed
Michigan's federal marketplace plus strong Medicaid expansion make for one of the friendlier states to go independent.
Read articleTennessee Health Insurance Without an Employer
No income tax, big gig economy, federal marketplace. Tennessee's coverage landscape for independents.
Read articleMissouri's Marketplace: A Shopper's Guide
Medicaid expansion by ballot measure changed Missouri's floor. What independents in KC and St. Louis should know.
Read articleHealth Insurance for Rideshare and Delivery Drivers
No employer plan, variable income, and a car between you and the ER. How drivers actually get covered.
Read articleThe Realtor's Guide to Health Insurance
Commission income, 1099 status, and a local association membership. How agents put those pieces together.
Read articleHealth Coverage for Contractors and Tradespeople
High-risk work makes coverage non-negotiable. The options for solo operators and small crews.
Read articleHealth Insurance for Salon Owners and Booth Renters
Booth renters are self-employed whether they feel like it or not. The coverage path for beauty professionals.
Read articleThe Creative Freelancer's Health Coverage Playbook
Photographers, designers, writers, and makers: coverage that survives feast-and-famine income.
Read articleHealth Insurance for Consultants and Fractional Executives
High income, no employer plan, and a choice: marketplace, spouse, or S-corp strategies.
Read articleOwner-Operator Truckers: Getting Covered on the Road
Multi-state life, irregular home time, and 1099 settlements. Coverage that works from the cab.
Read articleHealth Insurance for Artists and Musicians
Gig income, tour schedules, and union adjacency. How working artists stay covered.
Read articleHealth Coverage for Nannies and Household Employees
Household employment is real employment. What nannies and the families who employ them should know.
Read articleFarm and Ranch Families: Health Coverage Between Harvests
Lumpy income, rural networks, and the farm bureau question. Coverage for agricultural independents.
Read articleHSAs Explained: The Triple Tax Break Hiding in High-Deductible Plans
Deductible in, growth untaxed, medical spending out — no tax at any step. Who should use an HSA and who shouldn't.
Read articleDeductible vs. Max Out-of-Pocket: The Two Numbers That Actually Matter
Most shoppers fixate on the deductible. The max out-of-pocket is the number that protects you.
Read articleHMO vs. PPO vs. EPO: Network Types in Plain English
Three acronyms, one question: how much freedom do you need, and what will you pay for it?
Read articleBronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum: What Metal Tiers Really Mean
The metals aren't quality ratings — they're math. How actuarial value translates to your monthly bill.
Read articleMissed Open Enrollment? Special Enrollment Periods Explained
Life events open 60-day windows all year. What qualifies, what doesn't, and how to document it.
Read articleCOBRA vs. the Marketplace: Don't Auto-Pilot the Expensive Choice
COBRA keeps your old plan at full freight. The marketplace usually beats it — here's the actual comparison.
Read articleDental and Vision for Independents: Worth Buying?
Medical plans mostly skip adult teeth and eyes. When standalone coverage pays and when cash wins.
Read articleShort-Term Health Plans: What the Low Price Actually Buys
They're cheap because they can say no. What short-term coverage excludes, and when it's genuinely useful.
Read articleHow Premium Tax Credits Actually Work (With Real Math)
The subsidy formula in plain numbers: benchmark plans, expected contributions, and why estimates matter.
Read articleSeven Open Enrollment Mistakes That Cost Real Money
Auto-renewal traps, network drift, and subsidy leaks — the errors that turn a fine plan into an expensive one.
Read articleLevel-Funded Plans: The Questions Every Owner Asks
Refunds, laser risks, renewal cliffs — the FAQ version of how level-funded coverage really behaves.
Read articleQSEHRA vs. ICHRA: Two HRAs, Two Different Businesses
Both reimburse individual coverage tax-free. Size caps, class rules, and which fits which employer.
Read articleHiring Employee #1: When Do Health Benefits Make Sense?
No law requires benefits under 50 employees. The market often does. How first-time employers decide.
Read articleS-Corp Owners: The Health Insurance Payroll Rule You Can't Skip
More-than-2% shareholders have one path to deducting premiums — and it runs through the W-2.
Read articleDo Health Benefits Actually Retain Employees? The Small-Business Math
Replacing an employee costs months of salary. What benefits realistically buy in retention terms.
Read articleWhat Is a MEWA? The Structure Behind Every Association Plan
Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements are how group buying legally happens — and why regulators watch them closely.
Read articleA Short History of Association Health Plans
From guild plans to the 2018 rule and its rescission — how AHPs got here, and why the rules are what they are.
Read articleChamber of Commerce Health Plans: The Group Option Hiding in Plain Sight
Some chambers legally offer member health programs today. How they work and what to ask before joining.
Read articlePEOs: Renting a Big Company's Benefits — at a Price
Professional Employer Organizations put your team on their payroll to unlock big-group rates. The real trade-offs.
Read articleERISA Basics Every Small Employer Should Know
The federal law behind every benefit plan — what it demands even from a five-person company.
Read articleWhy New Associations Must Wait: The Two-Year Rule Explained
Both current guidance and pending legislation demand associations exist before they insure. Here's the logic.
Read articleWho Actually Regulates Your Health Plan: State or Federal?
The split personality of American insurance law, and why it decides what group buying can become.
Read article