Individual Health Insurance – What Part-Time Workers in Wisconsin Need to Know
According to a recent Princeton / Harvard study, alternative work arrangements have been on the rise since 2005. “Alternative” includes temporary help agency workers, on-call workers, contract workers and independent contractors or freelancers. Almost all of the net employment growth in the U.S. economy from 2005 to 2015 seems to be from alternative work arrangements.
The study proposes that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) could have contributed to the growth of alternative work arrangements. This is partly because people no longer have to be employed to get access to affordable individual health insurance coverage in Wisconsin and across the country.
In addition to this, companies can save money by not hiring workers. Instead, companies are choosing to contract with individuals for specific projects. People with highly marketable skills may choose alternative work arrangements. Others find themselves having to work one or more part-time or temporary jobs (with no benefits) to make ends meet. They want full-time employment, but can’t find a job.
In either situation, it’s important to know that the law requires everyone, even alternative workers, to have health insurance or pay a hefty fine.
How do you go about finding individual health insurance in Wisconsin that meets ACA requirements? What do you do if cost is an issue?
- Find out if you qualify for BadgerCare Plus (singles earning less than $11,880 per year may qualify)
- Find out if you qualify for subsidies to help pay for your individual health insurance plan in Wisconsin. Singles earning up to $47,5080 may qualify for certain subsidies.
- You can’t sign up for individual health insurance any time. Open Enrollment to get 2017 coverage is November 1, 2016 through January 31, 2017. Outside of this time, you must have a “Special Enrollment Period” to buy insurance.
- If you don’t qualify for subsidies, look at your health care costs before you choose a plan. Don’t just go with the plan that has the lowest premium, because you may have to pay more for care.
