It’s amazing how much better doctors treat you when they know that their client+patient is sitting in front of them, compared to when it is just their patient sitting in front of them, and their client being the insurance company.

Good luck.

Catastrophic health insurance is insurance with a high deductible, in the $500 ~ $X,000 range. It is extraordinarily cheap relative to garden variety health insurance (about 20% of what I pay for my more typical employer-subsidized benefits) because you only need to use it if you get an “Oh Crikey” event and the vast majority of people won’t, where the vast majority of families will require checkups, a few trips to the doctor for flus, the odd broken leg, pregnancy, etc. You use the difference between what you are paying in your full health insurance plan and what the catastrophic coverage costs you to fund a HSA, which is a tax-advantaged account that you can pay health care costs out of. If you end up not needing as much as you save, it is still your money, and you can either pay taxes and take it or roll it into a variety of tax advantaged retirement accounts, typically without penalty. (Or, obviously, just keep saving again future health care costs. Not a bad idea.)

If you’re interested in opening one, talk to your bank or broker, most have the option these days. Your insurance agent might also have a suggestion. Buying the catastrophic coverage is seperate from choosing the provider for the HSA — one provides the insurance, the other provides an account for managing your money.

Make sure your rates are high enough to cover those expenses and save for the future. Remember, you didn’t start a business to find a job, you started a business to do something better with your future.