It’s no secret that being a freelance writer or artist (or letterer or colorist) is a risky business.

Aside from the variable availability of steady work, you have to find and pay for your own health insurance.

Some creators simply do without - they’re young, and they’re invincible of course, but more realistically, they just can’t afford it based on their freelancer income. It’s a risky strategy, though understandable.

I once went for a couple of years without health insurance and it was very stressful because I was always thinking about how not to get seriously sick or have some kind of accident. (It didn’t work out - I did end up in the local ER on a weekend and had to drop a few hundred bucks I nearly didn't have).

Creator Colleen Doran (A Distant Soil; Orbiter) has done the heavy lifting to make it easier to get insured. She lists resources, options, and breaks down how it works for her.

It’s valuable reading. Necessary, too.

[Artwork: Ben Casey by Neal Adams, from Dave Karlen’s Original Art Blog]