Devoted to small businesses and those who run them

One of my concerns since my divorce has been finding affordable health insurance.  Those of you who have been self-employed for a while know how hard this can be.  It's much easier when you have a spouse whose company covers the whole family! 

Millions of individuals nationwide are without health care coverage right now due to an inability to qualify for low-income programs but an inability to afford standard insurance programs.  That's where I fit in; how about you?  In my case, switching to COBRA coverage would have cost me $800 a month.  Yes, you read that right.  And I'm a fairly young non-smoker with no preexisting health conditions that would have raised my rates.  Augh! 

Needless to say, I'm on the hunt for some affordable medical and dental insurance, and I'll gladly pass on anything that looks like it might benefit you as well. 

Today I learned about a company called HealthMarkets.  Their plans are underwritten by The MEGA Life and Health Insurance Company, Mid-West National Life Insurance Company of Tennessee, and The Chesapeake Life Insurance Company.  They claim to offer a "new approach to affordable insurance for individuals, the self-employed and small businesses."  From their website:

"HealthMarkets offers a broad and flexible array of products to suit every need of our customers — from the self-employed, individuals and small businesses, to students, hourly employees and others. Our plans range from comprehensive, major medical coverage with sophisticated consumer control features, to basic, limited-benefit plans which can be specifically tailored at the time of sale to suit customer needs, preferences and finances."

So far the only coverage I've been able to find in my price range was catastrophic coverage; personally I'm used to an HMO that focuses on (and rewards) good personal health practices and prevention of illness and disease versus reactionary treatment in emergencies.  That means I like the idea of being able to have a range of plans (as described above) to choose from.

You can get a quote from HealthMarkets (they offer coverage in 44 states, apparently) by visiting their website or calling 877-893-7766.  I'm going to fill out a quote request online myself.  I'll let you know if their rates scare the daylights out of me or not!

What sort of hobbies do you enjoy that you could turn into a business opportunity?  Are you hopelessly addicted to scrapbooking and rubber stamping?  Or are you a complete doormat when it comes to pets of all types?

If you're considering a home-based business because of the benefits, but you're stumped for what on earth you'd want to do as your own boss, you might want to take a look at this press release from Homestead Technologies.  They've drawn up a list with some pretty creative ideas on it to get your thinking cap on.  If one of these piques your interest, research it further, then take a good, hard look at the market in your area or online.  Who knows?  Maybe one of their ideas will spark your interest and get you building a business!

Thanks to my colleague Marta Wells, over at WorkFromHomeMomma, I was pointed toward Home-Based Working Moms (HBWM), a professional association and online networking community founded in 1995 by Lesley Spencer Pyle.

This looks like a pretty interesting group, with some useful resources!  HBWM offers benefits such as discounts and publicity opportunities, business building resources, and special membership items such as a free t-shirt and e-books, as well as free advertising to their members.  Membership costs $69 and includes a free e-newsletter and a monthly print newsletter too.

Since this is a professional association, I would be willing to bet that the fee for joining would probably be tax-deductible, but check with your tax preparer to be certain.  Whether you're already operating your home-based business or you're a mom trying to head home, they may have some resources that can really help you out.