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Are There Better Health Insurance Options for Freelancers in Maryland?
Freelancers in Maryland — designers, writers, developers, photographers, musicians — usually buy whatever Maryland Health Connection shows them in November and move on. There's often a better fit.
If your income is modest or variable
The marketplace is probably right, and you may qualify for a larger subsidy than you think once expenses are deducted. Medicaid is expanded (Maryland Medicaid) in Maryland.
If you've grown past the subsidy line
Successful freelancers hit the 400% cliff and suddenly pay full price. If you're healthy, a private shared-network PPO on Cigna, Aetna and PHCS PPO is priced on your health, not your 1099s — usually 30–50% less, with a national network that travels with you.
If you work across state lines
Marketplace HMOs are local. A national PPO covers you in-network in every state, which matters for freelancers who split time between Maryland and somewhere else.
If you have a pre-existing condition
Stay on the marketplace. Private plans underwrite; the marketplace doesn't.
The Maryland picture
Maryland runs its own state-based marketplace, Maryland Health Connection, and limits short-term plans to three months with no renewals. Private options here are narrower than in most states, so the honest answer is usually a careful comparison, not a promise of savings. Maryland has a progressive state income tax plus a county income tax, so the self-employed health premium deduction helps at the federal, state and local level.
Check your options — we'll show you both.