Attend a Free Webinar Oct. 16 to Learn How ASJA’s Health Insurance Broker Can Help You Navigate Likely Premium Increases

Let’s start with the bad news. Health insurance premiums will likely increase in 2026.

Policy changes advanced by the Trump administration and Congress could result in higher premiums for the Affordable Care Act health insurance plans that many self-employed writers and other small-business owners rely on. At the same time, tax credits put in place during the Covid-19 pandemic are set to expire at the end of 2025 unless Congress votes to extend them.

Now for the good news. As a member benefit, ASJA partners with a national health insurance broker that specializing in coverage for members of writing and book-related groups.

The broker, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., is hosting a free webinar on Thursday, Oct. 16, at 3 p.m. Eastern time, to share more about what it offers. The webinar is open to existing ASJA members only. You must be logged onto the members-only side of the ASJA website to sign up — once you sign in, get the link here.

If the Gallagher name isn’t a familiar one, it could be because ASJA’s long-time health insurance broker had been LIG Solutions. Gallagher, a major insurance brokerage and risk management services company, acquired LIG in 2022, but continued using the LIG name until rebranding the business under the Gallagher name in late summer.

ASJA can make an appointment for a consultation with a Gallagher agent to go over options and find suitable health coverage based on their business, situation, and state.

“The program we have is the most comprehensive in the market. It’s a concierge service,” said Tim McNichols, executive director of partnerships for Gallagher’s association health program. “If someone’s been laid off and they’re making the move to (being a) ghostwriter or content creator, we can work with them to find the right plan and figure out the transition.”

New Name, Same Mission to Help ASJA Members Find Insurance

The company may have a new name, but its mission of helping ASJA members find insurance remains the same.

Gallagher works with many of the country’s major insurance carriers. When agents for the company consult with an ASJA member, they analyze more than 120 available policies to find the two or three that would be the best fit for the person’s situation, according to McNichols.

Gallagher agents can work with ASJA members to find individual policies or policies to cover their families, including legally recognized domestic partners. Agents can also advise members about policies for their adult children ages 26 and older who are no longer eligible to be covered under a parent’s policy. If you operate a freelance writing business that has employees, Gallagher can help find group insurance coverage options that would cover them.

Gallagher agents are licensed in all 50 U.S. states and work with national, regional, and local insurance carriers. Gallagher makes commissions from the policies the company sells. However, Gallagher doesn’t share commission information with agents, so agents have no financial incentive to recommend one policy over another, McNichols said.

What Gallagher Offers

Gallagher can help ASJA members with a variety of health plans, including:

• Major medical, including ACA plans, also known as Obamacare
• Dental, vision, and prescription drug programs
• Short-term and critical care coverage
• Disability and life insurance policies
• Plans that recognize pre-existing conditions
• Minimum essential coverage (MEC) plans that offer bare-bones coverage
• Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans
• International travel insurance for people traveling for an extended period of time (excludes coverage for freelance journalists covering wars or other armed conflicts)

Gallagher’s services don’t end with finding a member the right policy. The company’s member services team can help when problems crop up. If a carrier asks for additional documentation or denies a claim “we can help them walk through the process and be their advocate,” McNichols said. Some insurance carriers deny more claims than others, banking on people not wanting to go through the appeals process. “But 99% of the time, having help through the process” can result in a more positive outcome, he said.

ASJA is part of Gallagher’s book industry program, which includes 16 writer and book-related associations, including groups for writers working in romance, science-fiction, and western genres.

Gallagher brokerage services are available to ASJA members in good standing at all levels. Because the services aren’t available to the public, ASJA members need to visit the members-only portion of the ASJA website to see the full details of what Gallagher offers, and to access the dedicated ASJA phone number and landing page to connect with an agent. Once you’re logged onto the members-only site, go to Members Only > Member Benefits > Health Insurance Advice and Access.

Find out more about Gallagher’s Oct. 16 webinar and register here.

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Michelle Rafter is a Portland, Oregon, business ghostwriter and editor, and ASJA publications committee chair.