Affordable Health Coverage for Individuals, Families & the Self-Employed

Independent contractors can explore marketplace plans, non-traditional health coverage models, Direct Primary Care memberships, and catastrophic protection strategies. The right approach depends on income, health needs, and risk tolerance.

Yes. Many individuals find lower-cost and more flexible options outside of COBRA. A side-by-side comparison is important before making a decision. Learn more here about COBRA alternatives.

Some solutions include traditional insurance components, while others use alternative structures. We review all compliant options and explain how each works so you can make an informed decision.

For many families, Direct Primary Care provides improved access to physicians, reduced urgent care visits, and more predictable healthcare spending.

Costs vary by age, location, and family size, but as a general framework: a DPC membership plus a compatible health sharing plan often runs $150 to $300 a month for a single adult, compared to $350 to $700 or more for an unsubsidized ACA Bronze or Silver plan. For a family of four, the gap is often even larger. The right way to know your actual number is to compare a real quote for your household against what you’re currently paying, since averages only tell part of the story.

Yes, as of January 1, 2026. A federal law change (the One Big Beautiful Bill Act) reclassified DPC membership fees as qualified medical expenses, so you can now use pre-tax HSA dollars to pay for DPC, up to $150 a month for individuals and $300 a month for families, as long as you’re also enrolled in a qualifying HDHP. This is a meaningful change: previously, enrolling in DPC could disqualify you from HSA contributions altogether.

This is one of the most important things to evaluate before choosing a strategy. ACA marketplace plans are required to cover pre-existing conditions with no waiting period. Health sharing programs are different: waiting periods for pre-existing conditions vary significantly by program, and some conditions may never be eligible for sharing. If you have an ongoing condition that requires regular specialist care or expensive medication, we’ll walk through exactly how each option treats it before you make a decision, this isn’t something to guess on.

It depends on what you’re enrolling in. ACA marketplace plans generally require either Open Enrollment (typically November through January) or a qualifying life event, like losing a job, moving, or a change in household, to trigger a Special Enrollment Period. Health sharing programs and DPC memberships don’t work on that same calendar; you can typically join either one at any time of year, which is one reason they’re a common choice for people navigating a transition outside the standard enrollment window.