Health Insurance for Freelance Writers

One of the most common questions every new freelance writer asks is, how am I going to get health insurance without an employer?

The best answer yet is: get coverage from your working spouse.

Of course, that doesn't work for everybody. Then you'll have to get a private policy, which can be expensive. On the other hand, you can deduct the premiums from your taxes if you file as self-employed.

In recent years, an alternative has surfaced from professional writers organizations, which offer their members discounted health plans through private companies. Two of these organizations are the National Writers Union (NWU) and the National Association of Science Writers (NASW).

AMWA does not offer these benefits, especially because of the difficulty of finding one company able to cover members in different states. For instance, NASW's Group Health Insurance is available in some states, not all of them.