Insurance for the self employed can be very expensive. Most people get their insurance through their workplace, but for many self employed business owners out there, finding affordable coverage can be difficult. If you are like most self employed people out there, you're going to need coverage at some point.

If you're self employed and need insurance you've probably looked at all kinds of health care and health insurance options like discount card programs or ala carte coverage but sometimes even those options are too expensive for people that are self employed and need insurance. So what can you do if you are self employed and need insurance? You may be able to find a buying group of self employed people to join for coverage. To negotiate a better price for health care, some groups of self employed will form a loose union.

This can be a great way to get coverage when you leave your employer. However, if someone in the family has a serious medical condition or pre-existing condition, rates for COBRA can be more expensive. In that case or if you have no major health conditions or problems you might be able to save money by getting insurance from a company that specializes in helping the self employed who need insurance get coverage. The rates you might pay for these private companies can sometimes be high, but overall more affordable than you may think. Health insurance shouldn't become a luxury when you become self employed. See if your employers health insurance coverage can be extended (COBRA) to you for a while if you plan to leave your current job. Check to see how long after your insurance will continue once you terminate your employment insurance will continue.

If you leave the company on good terms to start your own business or become self employed the company that you work for might let you continue to stay on the company health insurance plan so if you're leaving your current job and are friendly with the boss you should ask if you will be allowed to stay on the company health insurance since being self employed makes it difficult to get affordable insurance. Being without insurance for any period of time can be scary, because if something should happen (Murphy's Law) the hospital bills could stack up and could make things difficult.