Freelance Finance

Where does a freelancer go to get some decent health insurance? This a huge, growing issue. Each time the number of freelancers grows in the U.S., the number of people who are going without some form of medical safety net jumps. The powers-that-be have historically consoled themselves with the quaint notion that only the indigent, the homeless or recent immigrants to these shores lacked health care, but this idea is only becoming more obviously revealed as a lie.

Self-employed entrepreneurs, part-timers, day laborers, temps and many more all lack an employer’s “gift” of health care. At 42 million people, the pool of independent workers is major political force; we just don’t know it. Some of us earn fine livings. Many of us vote. Regularly. Why do you think the U.S. presidential candidates are spending so much time talking about health care? The reality has the power to derail campaigns.

If you don’t live in the States, this will all sound very odd, or possibly humorous. How could the richest nation on earth not guarantee its citizens health care? But at least you, the out-of-towner, have an excuse. What appalls me is that coverage of this issue in the mainstream media always seems to thump on the same old memes: Some people don’t have health insurance. Some people find it hard to get health insurance. Private health insurance is too expensive for some people. Shocking! As if this were a new issue. People: for once, can we please try to make some folks feel uncomfortable by asking some hard questions, such as: Why the hell, and how the hell is this allowed to continue?

This New York Times article treads on much of the same territory, but it’s still worth posting, if only to draw attention to the issue.

There: You went and made me run up my blood pressure. I hope my overpriced insurance carrier isn’t reading.