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I’ll never forget the day that my cousin (and best friend) Soraya sold everything she owned, packed one suitcase, and booked a flight to NYC to pursue her career in Journalism. “It’s time to follow our dreams,” she said as she sat at the airport terminal waiting for the plane to arrive. Her and I knew since we were younger that working for ourselves was not even an option and we were finally in our twenties, with resources and experience under our belts, and the determination needed to successfully take on the freelance world. But reality quickly struck as we grew older. Soraya turned 26 and the reality of not having health insurance hit her like a ton of bricks. Although she was the New York Coorespondant for a high-volume site and the site manager for an MTV2 Personality, the reality of the situation was that she was still self-employed.
“So what are we going to do about benefits?”, she asked as she got kicked off of her dad’s health insurance policy and that’s when I realized: “Oh shoot, I’m about to be 26 too!”. I’ve seen the cost of my Gynecologist bills before and after insurance and I’m really not trying to be one emergency away from financial disaster.
So where do we start as freelancers, business owners, or employees of companies with not-so-hot insurance policies? I’d suggest test-driving Aflac’s Open Enrollment. Soraya and I will be hitting them up, simply to hear our options and to pick a healthcare plan that works best for us. We’re going with Aflac because they offer cash benefits (like a reward program) as they insure you and you can use those benefits to pay rent, gas, groceries, child care or any other out-of-pocket expenses. (And you guys know I’m all about reward programs right?)
The United State’s Open Enrollment Period is now (a time where you can change whatever plan you have or get a new plan), so definitely take advantage and search for the biggest bang for your buck — Even if you’re working in-house somewhere.
What’s wealth without health?
Protect your ends.
Welcome to adulthood my friends =).
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I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
