For freelancers and 1099 contractors
Health coverage for freelancers and 1099 contractors
When you work on a 1099, no client gives you a benefits package. You buy your own coverage on the individual market, pay for it with money that has already been taxed, and watch the price climb with your age every year.
USA OPS helps a freelance or contracting business of one find out, on its own 2026 numbers, whether it can join a real group plan instead of shopping alone.
No fee and no contact for the first result.
Who this is for
Established freelancers who want the number before the sales process.
You net about $80,000 or more
The route usually needs enough business income for the structure to matter after payroll and plan costs.
You pay about $700 or more monthly
The more expensive your current path is, the more useful it is to compare it against a large-group path.
You file, or may file, as a corporation
The group-plan route runs through a W-2 wage from your own business. Your CPA confirms the entity decision.
A lot of 1099 earners are sole proprietors today. For some, electing S-corp treatment is part of the path. Whether it comes out ahead depends on your profit and how steady it is, and the number tests it before you change anything. If you are weighing that move anyway, compare S-corp and LLC treatment and see how 1099 tax works.
If you already have W-2 employees, the math is different for a team. See the team path.
How it works
You join a large group that already exists.
You do not build a group to get a group plan. You join a large one that already exists, the same way the staff at a big employer does. The plan is a National Tier 1 PPO, and the premium runs through payroll instead of out of your after-tax pocket.
The structure is not new. Our PEO partner sponsors the plan and runs the back office: underwriting, enrollment, payroll, and service. You stay the owner of your business and keep your clients.
See how the process works, or read why a business of one can qualify.
Other routes
Each option is real. Each has a limit.
The individual market
A plan you buy on your own, rated by your age and area, paid with after-tax dollars. For a newer or lower-profit freelancer, it can still be the simplest answer.
Association plans
Some freelancer organizations offer access through an association. It can beat shopping cold, but economics and networks vary by plan and state.
A client stipend or ICHRA
Reimbursement arrangements are employer tools for W-2 employees. As a contractor, you generally do not have an employer offering one.
A group plan you join as a participant works differently, because you are inside the plan and inside large-group pricing, not reimbursing yourself for an outside one. See why the HRA tools do not work for an owner.
Proof before trust
See the number first, not a contact gate.
The calculator runs on a few facts: your net income, what you pay now, your state, and your entity. From those, it returns your personal 2026 return run two ways, your current path next to the path through a group plan.
First result on screen
No name, email, or phone required to see the first result.
Full report when it holds
A 6-digit text code opens the full report, every line, structured for your CPA to review.
A no is useful
The model tells you to stay put when staying put is the better move.
Cost and fit
Flat fee, clear no, no bill from USA OPS.
The PEO fee is flat: $150 per person per month for the full stack, or $75 a month for compliance only. It is month to month, and it does not climb when you pay yourself more or the business grows.
Frequently asked questions
Freelancer questions, answered plainly.
Can a freelancer with no employees really get a group plan?
Often, yes. You join an existing large group through our PEO partner rather than building a group yourself. Eligibility depends on your business facts, your entity, and the provider review, which is why the calculator checks your specific numbers first.
Do I have to become an S-corp to do this?
The group-plan route runs through a W-2 wage from your own business. For some 1099 earners that means electing S-corp treatment, and whether it makes sense for you is part of what the number shows. Many freelancers are sole proprietors until their profit makes the change worth it.
What about an association plan or a freelancers union plan?
Those can be a reasonable option and are worth checking. The economics usually sit closer to the individual market than to a large employer group, and networks vary. The calculator compares your real figures so you can see which route actually wins for you.
Can I just take a client stipend or an ICHRA instead?
An ICHRA is an employer arrangement for W-2 employees. As an independent contractor you generally have no employer offering one, and a more-than-2-percent S-corp owner is usually not eligible to use one on themselves. The group-plan route is built for exactly that gap.
Does USA OPS provide the coverage or give tax advice?
No on both. The group plan comes from our PEO partner, which handles underwriting, enrollment, payroll, and service. We run the analysis, explain the fit, and connect you when the numbers work. Your taxes and filings stay with you and your CPA.
What if the number says I should stay put?
Then you have your answer, and you saved yourself a sales process. Run it again when your income or coverage cost changes.
See your number
Start with the math.
If the group-plan path beats what you have, then decide whether a discovery call is worth your time. If it does not, you will know that too.