When we had our business we got private insurance. After a few years the rates started going up dramatically - 30% every 6 months. We tried to get BC/BS but with my asthma they were out of site. A year or two later we found out why our rates were going up so fast. The insurance company had stopped issuing new policies so the only people left in the group were those too sick to get insurance elsewhere. Fortunately the place that had the BC/BS started doing their own underwriting and we got in a year or two before Cindy got her stomach problem and spent that week in the hospital. They even took me at a reasonable rate and no exclusion for my asthma. The rate may be reasonable but insurance is still our largest monthly bill by far. Makes you wonder if it would be worth it to back to work just to get insurance coverage but I think I enjoy rehabbing houses a few months a year instead.