Freelancers take note:

Excerpt from Freelancers Union Newsletter:

CO-OPs are nonprofit health insurance plans that are focused on the needs of the insured, not on making a profit – a belief that is core to our work. Widely regarded as one of the most innovative cost-containment solutions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (also known as the Health Care Reform Act), these nonprofit CO-OPs will compete with private insurers on the open market. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will provide $340 million in loans to the three CO-OPs we’ll be sponsoring. They will be open to everyone, with financial help available to lower-income Americans. (ref below)

I have not done research on this. Links are below to start looking into how this might work for you.

http://www.freelancersunion.org/co-ops/?utm_source=Freelancers+Union+List&utm_campaign=c77d3d0b0b-CO_OPs_NY_members_non_FIC2_21_2012&utm_medium=email

Read more:

• HHS on CO-OP background: http://www.healthcare.gov/law/features/choices/co-op/index.html
• HHS Fact Sheet on CO-OPs: http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/2011/07/coops07182011a.html
• HHS on the State Exchange: http://www.healthcare.gov/law/features/choices/exchanges/index.html
• National Alliance for CO-OPs: http://www.nashco.coop/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=45&Itemid=53
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: http://cciio.cms.gov/programs/coop/index.htmlv
• National Cooperative Business Association on health care cooperatives:http://www.ncba.coop/ncba/about-co-ops/co-op-sectors/146-healthcare
• Wikipedia on health insurance cooperatives: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_insurance_cooperative