How Mike Did It

Mike was a journalist at a newspaper who discovered that he had a progressive disability, multiple sclerosis (MS). He adapted to his disability by leaving his job and becoming a freelance writer. When he did that, he lost his employer-sponsored health insurance, but was able to sign up for AHCCCS. During this process, he got support from many different people, including his former employer’s Human Resources department, a peer support group, benefits experts, and an accountant.

Mike took these steps to improve his situation:

• Got help from his employer’s Human Resources department so sign up for health insurance that paid for the medical care he got when he began feeling the effects of his disability
• Joined a support group for people with MS
• Decided to become self-employed
• Used DB101’s Finding the Right Coverage for You guide and learned that he probably qualified for AHCCCS
• Got HealthCare.gov local help over the phone to make sure he understood his options correctly
• Signed up for AHCCCS on HealthCare.gov
• Networked with others in his field to find more freelance work and boost his income
• Started putting money away for retirement in an Individual Retirement Account (IRA)
• Contacted HealthCare.gov at 1-800-318-2596 or 1-855-889-4325 (TTY) and then updated his information on the HealthCare.gov website
• Got help from an accountant to make sure that all self-employment income taxes and Social Security taxes were paid on time

With his freelance work, Mike had the freedom to work at the pace he wanted and as time went on, he achieved success in his field. He had health coverage and also felt secure knowing that by paying his Social Security taxes, he’d be covered by Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) if his disability got worse.