I am sitting here at home with a sore throat and a steady cough.  I have been here for about 4 days and have not made it into the office during my down time.  It started off as a runny nose, presumably from the high juniper count here in NE heights, and then it turned into horrible sinus pressure.  Now it is an all out cold with a cough. 

         You are probably wondering, "why hasn't he gone to the doctor if he is so sick?" Well, I did go to the doctor and I received a prescription for my congestion, but the worst part was how much I paid out of pocket sans insurance.  It was easily $300 after all was said and done.  $300 was probably cheaper than paying a monthly fee for health insurance, but what would I have done if it was much worse?  A broken leg, broken arm, both need numerous tests, emergency fees, x-ray exams, and other costs that would easily stack up.  I am lucky that it is just a cold, but the worst part of my cold came when the doctor's office asked me, "who do you use for insurance?"

        When I answered "I am self-employed and I do not have insurance," they responded with an, "okay" and a nod of the head.  Almost like they felt sorry for me, the sniffly man standing in front of them.  At that moment I recall saying, "I don't need health insurance because I never get sick!"  Well, here I am sick and forced to learn a valuable lesson...everyone needs health insurance, because we will all get sick, and it is hard to pick and choose when we do catch that bug. 

What will you do when you get sick? 

If you a self-employed, how will you protect yourself before you get sick? 

Do you know of any plans out there designed for the self-employed individual?

Maybe you have a story of when you were sick and didn't have health insurance?