4 Benefits of Virtual Care for Self-Employed and Gig Workers

What happened when Americans lost their jobs during a global pandemic? As it turns out, many started businesses or embraced their side hustles.

Even before 2020, the self-employment ranks were fairly robust. QuickBooks’ Gig Economy and Self-Employment Report suggests nearly three out of 10 employees considered themselves at least partially self-employed back in 2019. Still, research from daVinci Payments indicates that freelance and independent contractor work rose 33% during and after pandemic-related shutdowns.

Now, millions of people are selling goods on Etsy, driving for DoorDash, launching startups, and positioning themselves as niche consultants. They’ve traded being tethered to employers for the freedom and flexibility of being their own bosses.

This is great in many ways, but it has also created a conundrum: How will they get healthcare?

The Self-Employed, Health Plans, and Virtual Care

Getting health coverage as a self-employed person can be daunting. Health plans exist, but most require an outlay of hundreds (or thousands) of dollars a month on top of annual premiums. That’s a tough pill to swallow for people who don’t have a steady, reliable income. But going without health coverage is incredibly risky — and can be absurdly costly in the event of a medical emergency.

This is where the subject of full-service telehealth enters the conversation. Virtual healthcare plans and visits make a lot of sense for self-employed workers because they ramp up accessibility while lowering the overall price tag. According to a 2021 telehealth study from researchers with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, virtual care checkups cost nearly $100 less than their urgent care counterparts.

Virtual primary care is also becoming more popular. Because of COVID concerns, plenty of healthcare providers experimented with telehealth models. Patients immediately reaped the benefits of efficient and convenient care. This will likely have a major positive impact on individuals, families, and communities in the years to come.

The Impacts and Benefits of Virtual Care on American Workers

In the end, virtual care could be the solution to a country with a growing population of self-employed and gig workers. Here are four key implications:

1. Virtual Care can offer an affordable healthcare solution for self-employed and gig workers who lack coverage.

For uninsured patients who cannot access healthcare benefits, affordable virtual care plans can provide significant savings in out-of-pocket medical expenses while offering some peace of mind.

Going without health coverage leads many people to ignore common health issues that can easily be managed virtually. Not only does this manage the issues in the present, but it also prevents minor problems from becoming more serious diseases that will require more expensive out-of-pocket costs.

2. Telehealth can be a complementary solution for self-employed and gig workers who can’t afford full health insurance.

Virtual care enables self-employed and gig workers to get the healthcare they need — even if they can’t afford full health coverage. They might pair a comprehensive virtual care plan with emergency or high-deductible insurance coverage, for example. This gives them a sense of autonomy in their healthcare decisions while also offering convenience and affordability.

3. Both self-employed and gig workers can avoid losing income due to untreated problems.

Far too many self-employed workers push through basic health problems to save on in-person provider visits, even when those problems interfere with their productivity. To a self-employed worker who drives for Uber or Lyft, a bladder infection can cut hours out of the workday and lead to a loss of income.

Virtual care allows them to connect with a physician who can efficiently monitor their health, prescribe medications, and make other recommendations. A user-friendly virtual care service can cut appointment times from three hours to just 45 minutes — a huge quality-of-life boost for both patients and providers. It also gives self-employed and gig workers time back in their day, which improves their earning capacity.

4. Virtual care solutions also provide self-employed and gig workers access to mental healthcare.

Burnout is a common mental health issue for self-employed and gig workers. However, confusing health costs and the absence of insurance coverage for mental health generally prevent these individuals from addressing their mental health needs. Thanks to advances like virtual talk therapy, these workers gain access to a network of professional therapists to address their emotional and behavioral health concerns — all from the comfort and privacy of their homes.

Telehealth isn’t just advantageous for the self-employed, of course. It’s a useful alternative for anyone who needs medical care. Nevertheless, those actively pursuing or considering self-employment might find telehealth to be a great way to sidestep preventable medical problems conveniently, affordably, and reliably.

At Health Karma, we believe great healthcare starts with understanding it. To learn more about navigating virtual care as a self-employed person, click here.