A New Option for Uninsured Self-Employed Workers
In addition to organizations like Freelancers Union, independent workers often find coverage through professional trade groups or their local chambers of commerce. Or they may buy it on their own through websites like ehealthinsurance.com, which offers quotes on individual policies from a number of insurers. Of course, the best coverage of all will most likely come from a spouse's group plan, if it's affordable.
Freelance union members may get other benefits, however. Horowitz says the Freelancers Union will act as an ombudsman, trying to ensure fair treatment in health insurance for its members. A worthy goal, and members may need the help, say experts, since the individual market is much less regulated than the employer-group market. "In many states, if you buy an association product [which many Golden Rule policies are], you lose protections from the state, including rate protections and the ability to get help from your state insurance commission if you have a problem," says Mila Kofman, associate research professor at Georgetown University Health Policy Institute.
To Horowitz, however, this venture is about more than offering health insurance; it's about reforming the system to catch the people who currently fall through the cracks. From that perspective, the more people who sign up through the union, the better their understanding of the pitfalls and problems, and the better they can target their efforts for change. "When you get denied a claim, that's one thing, but when people in 20 states get denied, that's something else," she says. "Strength in numbers" has always been a rallying cry for trade unions. Now Horowitz wants to apply that principle to a new kind of union.
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