The Gift of Health Insurance

If you have dogs, you know how quickly something can go wrong. Carrying pet insurance can ease the financial burden of helping your pet heal. Health insurance for you as a small business owner is just as important.

Health insurance varies by country. Some places it is a right, other places it is a gift that not everyone can afford. Small business owners, particularly sole proprietors, can be most at risk when it comes to affording health insurance.

Recent political shifts in current health subsidies create real concerns and hardships for many, including the sole proprietors. We recently began asking many of the contractors we know who are self employed about their health insurance. We were saddened to hear many do not carry any at all. The cost is simply prohibitive. And with recent developments, it is about to become even more expensive.

As this week of gift giving arrives, consider ways you can help your small business friends and colleagues stay healthy. Consider writing your elected politicians advocating for healthcare subsidies that support small business owners. Or, at a minimum, generate conversation when at parties or family gatherings if people of influence are in attendance. Raising awareness of how fragile the health insurance situation is for small business owners is an effort we all can take the time to consider.

Much like our pet companions, when we fall ill, having a safety net for help is critical to moving forward. Our pets rely on us. We rely on each other.

Affording health insurance in our country is a gift not everyone has. Spreading awareness to those in the position to help sole proprietors gain continued access to affordable health care is likely the best gift you can give a small business owner this holiday season.

Be well.