One of the most vexing challenges facing many self-employed solo and small businesses is health insurance – and this challenge has only become more complicated in recent years. This week, during our #SoloPR Topic Chat on Twitter, we were joined by Angus McRae, a 25-year veteran insurance broker who is extremely knowledgeable on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and specializes in providing individual health insurance, from both private insurers as well as healthcare.gov. Read on to view the questions, top tweets, and to download the full transcript.
We addressed top questions from the community, including:
1. What is Open Enrollment? Is it a factor even if I go with a private insurer?
2. If I leave my job to become a Solo PR Pro, is that a “qualifying event?”
3. When does it make sense to use the healthcare.gov website?
4. I have pre-existing conditions. What do I need to know about my chances of getting insurance today?
5. Should I get a plan with a high deductible to keep my health insurance costs down?
6. How can an insurance broker be helpful?
7. I’ve heard of Bronze, Silver and Gold plans. Do these allow for an apples-to-apples comparison between insurers?
A few of the top tweets are highlighted below (followed by a link to the full transcript):
Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for the full discussion. Please note that the transcript is in reverse chronological order.
If you'd like to work with an insurance broker, you can reach out to Angus McRae or use the nahu.org website's “agent finder” to locate help in your area. If you weren’t able to join us this week, weigh in on the chat questions in the comments!
Our next Q&A chat will be held 9/10, and our next Topic Chat will be held on 9/24 on the always interesting topic of ethics (coinciding with PRSA Ethics Month) – stay tuned for more details!
In case you missed it, the #solopr chat has moved to a twice monthly schedule. We meet the second and fourth Wednesday of each month from 1-2 p.m. Eastern – a regular ritual for some of the savviest PR pros on Twitter. Anyone with a Twitter account is welcome to participate.
If you’re looking for immediate answers to your questions and real-time access to wisdom from veteran pros, join us as a Premium member of Solo PR Pro – our private Facebook group is available 24/7.
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