You can still get a nationwide PPO in Indiana, even though the marketplace sells none. Here is how 1099 workers should think about a lean year now that the Healthy Indiana Plan is adding a work requirement.
Hi, I'm Sam. I'm licensed in 36 states, I work from Tampa, and Hoosiers paid on a 1099, whether you install flooring in Noblesville, drive routes out of Gary or do bookkeeping in Bloomington, can set up coverage with me by phone.
This page covers one Indiana situation: the lean year. Indiana covers low-income adults through the Healthy Indiana Plan, known as HIP, and that's a genuine safety net for a contractor whose work dries up. But HIP is adding a work requirement starting January 1, 2027, and a contractor counting on HIP should understand it before relying on it.
When work comes back, the network question returns. Indiana's marketplace sells 80 individual medical plans this year, split among HMOs, EPOs and two POS plans, and none of them is a PPO.
You can still get a nationwide PPO in Indiana, through me. It's a private, underwritten plan priced from your health answers, with providers in every state, a good fit for contractors whose jobs cross county and state lines.
KFF lists the income limit for adults in Indiana's program at 138% of the federal poverty level. If your household's income for the year is at or below that, HIP may cover you, and while you're eligible for it you generally can't get the marketplace credit.
What's new is a work requirement. According to Indiana's Family and Social Services Administration, starting January 1, 2027, HIP members ages 19 to 64 must complete 80 hours a month of work, job training, education, apprenticeship or community service, unless they qualify for an exemption. For a contractor, the practical question is how your self-employed hours will be counted and documented, and that's a question to put directly to FSSA before you need the answer.
If your honest estimate for the year falls at or below the HIP limit, apply, and keep careful records of the hours you work. Invoices, job logs and calendars are worth holding onto. If a big job lifts your income above the limit, report it and move to a marketplace plan.
Next step: If this year looks thin, call me and we'll look at whether HIP, the marketplace or a mix across the year fits your situation.
Many contractors land here. HealthCare.gov wants net self-employment income for the year, updated as soon as it changes, and a plan bought there with the credit is usually the most affordable option. Since every plan is an HMO, EPO or POS plan, check that your own doctors are in the network.
Next step: Bring your 1099 totals and main expenses, and I'll help you set an honest estimate and choose a plan with your doctors in it.
Once the work is steady and your income is past the credit range, you'd pay full price for a plan limited to one network. An underwritten nationwide PPO is often the better buy: the insurer reviews your health answers and offers the policy, declines, or offers it with one condition excluded.
Next step: When business is strong again, call me and I'll price a nationwide PPO against the plans in your county.
Good records help with the marketplace estimate and with any HIP work requirement, and they make switching between programs much smoother.
Straight answers, no sales pitch.
If household income is at or below 138% of the federal poverty level, possibly. Starting in 2027, HIP adds a monthly work or activity requirement for many adults.
According to Indiana FSSA, 80 hours a month of work, job training, education, apprenticeship or community service for members ages 19 to 64, starting January 1, 2027, unless exempt.
No medical PPO. All 80 individual medical plans are HMO, EPO or POS plans. Healthy contractors can get a nationwide PPO through me.
Net self-employment income for the year, after business expenses, updated when it changes.
Tell me your county, who's in the household and your honest guess at this year's 1099 net. I'll walk you through HIP, the marketplace and private options for where you'll likely land.
The guide for every state, and other work I help with