Last Thursday, around midnight, my wife was hauled down a long, lonely corridor, knocked unconscious, and stabbed five times.
At least that’s how her surgeon described it.
It turns out that your gall bladder can become infected. My wife’s was, and the doctors removed it. She’s recovering now, building back her strength, getting her innards working again, so things are getting back on track.
What does this have to do with freelancing? A lot. You see, the whole experience dragged some realities into the spotlight, realities that I can no longer ignore or play down.
The job search for my proposed career change—from software developer to writer/editor/proofreader—has taught me several harsh realities. One such reality is that for someone without formal editing experience, entry-level positions are thin on the ground (and by “thin” I mean non-existent).
The only way to get experience, then, is to go freelance.
Freelance has many attractive features with no boss, flexibility, and a super-fast commute chief among them, but it also has unattractive features as well.
Instability of income is a big downside for me because I am currently the sole breadwinner of the family and a lot depends on a consistent revenue stream. My wife is building up her own business, but her work will be freelance as well and to be frank, the idea of us both working freelance gives me the heebie-jeebies.
But this past week brought to light another downside of freelancing: individual health insurance.
I work for a non-profit health insurer, and I have pretty good coverage. I also (currently) make sufficient money so that I don’t have to worry about copays and deductibles. For this episode, between urgent care, emergency room, surgery, and an overnight hospital stay, I expect we’ll be responsible for several thousand dollars of the overall costs.
As a freelancer buying individual insurance, though, my policy would be much less comprehensive and a lot less generous (I’ve checked). Thankfully, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would subsidize any premiums I incurred, but my financial responsibility for an event like this would be much larger, possibly by a factor of three or four.
And this event was an easy fix. Imagine if it was something more serious…
I’m in my late-middle-fifties, a time when health issues often arise. I’m in pretty good health, but until we have a single-payer universal health care system, it’s just another big risk to add to the pile.
Doing freelance editing on the side is one thing, and I may still do that—I will definitely go freelance once I reach retirement age—but putting all our precious eggs in that one basket is too precarious a position for us right now, and I won’t do it.
So, I’ll send out more CVs and continue the search, modifying my goals as required.
Watch this space.
k
Kurt, you’ve hit on the reality that keeps me in the day job even past retirement age. Three years ago we took a five-figure hit for an emergency procedures with serious complications. With good insurance. Total cost was around $160,000, so we felt fortunate it was that low and we had the money to cover our part of it. This year the repair of the complications (Surprise!) was about half that, and the out of pocket was substantially less, too. Still very nerve wracking. Not everyone is cut out for the adventure of being a freelancer. I know I’m not!
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Thanks, Chris. I’m glad your family weathered its health crisis. It’s difficult, even when you have the funds to manage it. Without? A Stygian nightmare.
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Sigh…reality is such a bummer. I recommend you escape by sitting down and writing the Great American Novel and then you will not only satisfy creative needs but financial ones, as well. By the way, I have ObamaCare. Haven’t used it yet but at least if my gall bladder acts up, I can wave my healthcare ID card and see what happens.
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I think the ACA is great, and it has helped millions. It is definitely better than nothing, which is what a lot of folks had. But the low “bronze” level is still insufficient coverage for a lot of low income people, should a major event occur. I’m for universal single-payer care, and I truly believe we will get there, eventually. I will be on Medicare in a decade. If it hadn’t happened by then, for me, it will when I’m eligible for Medicare.
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Oh, Kurt, I just now saw this. Everything you say above makes sense. There are several such areas I wish I’d considered a whole lot more before we went “freelance.”
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And _you_ are the success story, Barb! I’ve read the accounts of others who have made it work also, but it always comes with high risk and extremely hard work. I’m not afraid of hard work, but I am afraid of high risk. My major breakthrough here (if “breakthrough” is appropriate) is that I no longer feel guilty about the decision. As someone who has defined himself by his creative art–as a musician, as a writer–I really feel the pressure of the “follow your bliss” mentality. Some may call me a quitter for not giving all up ”for my art,” but those opinions no longer matter to me, which is growth, I guess.
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Yes . . . I have a few close friends who are definitely in the “Follow your bliss!” “Live for today!” “Break free from the chains!” “Don’t be a coward!” category, and who often make more cautious people feel bad for trying to maintain some kind of safety net. This did work for them in their 30s and even 40s. Now, that we’re all in our 50s, I sometimes wish I’d listened to my inner voice a little more often–and I think they wish they’d been a tad more sensible.
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Well, maybe they’ll be able to feel good for having “lived their bliss” for a time. I hope so.
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I have a good friend who just got certified as a medical editor. If you’d like, I’ll ask him to contact you. He may have some suggestions for you. I certainly hope your wife is over all the heavy lifting, and life gets back on track.
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Well, technically, she _can’t_ do any heavy lifting yet. 😉
If your friend doesn’t mind giving me a few bullet points on the process he underwent to get certified, I’d appreciate the knowledge.
Thanks!
k
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I hope she recovers quickly. That’s terrible! Best of luck to you both!
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She’s doing quite well today. She’s tapered off the Big Pain Meds, which means she feels much more normal. Thank you!
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Oh, Kurt, how awful. She made such an impression on me when I met her last fall. I hope she mends quickly and fully, in body and spirit.
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She’s laughing today, which is always a good sign. Thanks.
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