Looking to go freelance 1099 anesthesia provider? You’ve come to the right place! 1MAC’s marketplace was developed to educate, empower, and enable anesthesia providers to connect, collaborate, negotiate, and contract like never before. Here’s a look at 1MAC’s first BIG 3 things to prepare prior to going full-time 1099 anesthesia provider. Remember that some of these will be done simultaneously and not necessarily in a step wise fashion as listed.
Disclaimer – All information contained in this article is gathered from my own personal experience and research as a business owner. I am not a lawyer, an accountant, or financial advisor and recommend you always consult with one if you are unsure about the information contained here within. We always recommend you perform your own research as well before embarking on any type of professional, financial, business, or life decisions.
#1 of 9 – Get your finances in order
Sounds terminal right? Its actually quite the opposite and will keep you alive and thriving! Working as a full-time freelance 1099 does carry a bit of risk, especially when starting out. You want to be calculated about it. Before you up and quit your full-time W2 position to start working as a 1099 contractor it’s important to save some money, even if you already have a gig lined up. Starting out can be choppy for various reasons. There can be lulls between contracts, contracts can fall through, or never imagined scenarios can pop up. This is coming from someone who has dealt with hundreds of contract negotiations and placements. I have personally been out of work twice because of unforeseen circumstances. I was out of full-time work for months during Covid and once again for an unforeseen back surgery. Insulate yourself as much as possible. This means putting away enough cash to weather the storms. A resource such as 1MAC will help smooth out and alleviate some of those concerns. The 1MAC app allows you to submit and receive offers to and from multiple facilities, keeping the contracts coming and opportunities open while simultaneously giving you a bird’s-eye view of the market.
We recommend always having at least a full 3 months’ worth of your expenses saved on top of your emergency fund. Six months’ worth is even better! The more you have the better prepared you’ll be and the more selective you can be about the assignments you take, and what you are willing to be paid. Freedom is one of the main reasons for going 1099 anyways. The freedom to make your own schedule, name your own price, contract on your terms, live the lifestyle you desire, and retire early!
#2 of 9 – Determine what type of business you want and get it started
When functioning as a 1099 you are going to be offering your professional services to other businesses, i.e., hospitals, ASCs, management companies, or staffing companies. Most of these entities are going to prefer doing “contracting 1099 business” with another business entity. Creating your own business entity is a very important step and is one that we cover in detail in the second series of your 1MAC app educational section. If you haven’t signed up and you want/need more info you can sign up here for free. But, let’s talk a little bit about some of the details you’ll have to think about.
One of the most important decisions you must make as you start your journey toward self-employment is determining what your business structure will be. Operating an LLC or corporation allows you to take advantage of the legal, financial, and professional benefits that these entities can provide, as we will describe in detail in the next section in-app. Now there are a few different options to choose from. The two big ones are limited liability company or a corporation. I have started each of these types of entities, and there are different reasons for each one. It really depends on your goals and is something you should discuss with your accountant and/or attorney for your specific situation if you are unsure. A large majority of 1099 professionals in the anesthesia world are creating LLCs and many are filing as s-corporations for tax purposes. We will cover the differences of these extensively in-app. If you’re interested in expanding your knowledge on the subject you can sign up and have access to every bit of educational content we release for free. It can really help you and your accountant decide together what makes the most sense!
When you’re ready to take this step make sure you read the article and/or watch the video in 1MAC’s educational section, “4 Simple Steps to Starting Your Own Anesthesia Company” (to be released soon), where we break down the process into four easy steps for you to follow to get your business up and running in no time. We are here and happy to be a resourceful guide to your ongoing success as a 1099 anesthesia provider.
#3 of 9. Go ahead and prepare for insurance coverages you will need
If you are just dipping your toes in and keeping your full-time or part-time W2 , then all these might not apply. But, here are the insurances you should be thinking about in our determined order of importance:
1. Malpractice/Liability Insurance (This is a must) – Some entities will cover this for you in the contract, but we really recommend just having your own. This is the one type of coverage that you must have to work. Malpractice provides coverage for liability arising from disputed services that results in a patient’s injury or death. We recommend at least getting a moonlighting policy from your professional association or some other well established insurance provider for your profession. Having your own policy will allow you to open your horizons to true 1099 work and allow you to maintain your coverage in one easy to follow policy over the years. A moonlighting policy will typically cover you for up to 500 hours of work and can always be adjusted up as needed.
2. Medical/Health Insurance – W2s typically have this come standard with their jobs. Making a change in your job status, i.e., losing insurance coverage through your full-time job, qualifies as a “qualifying life event“. This provides a window of time that you are allowed to get another ACA policy through the Healthcare Marketplace. It’s typically about a 60 day window. Other options such as private and short-term health plans do exist but be prepared to jump on this right away to have the most options available. Private insurance agents may come in handy here but I have always used the Healthcare Marketplace for my family’s health insurance. It’s very straightforward and simple to use and compare different types and levels of coverage. Don’t forget to think about dental and vision coverages as well because many health insurance plans will not cover those specifically.
3. Disability Insurance or “Income Insurance” – This is one you don’t want to sleep on (no pun intended)! Take it from someone who has been on the receiving end of no disability insurance and out for weeks with no pay. Although it may be expensive, you want to definitely have this in place to protect your income. You never know when injury or illness will hit. There are multiple different types of disability insurances available, but the two most common are long term and short term disability. In my opinion both are good to have but long term is more important for high income earners. In a highly specialized field like ours you want to have own-occupation long-term disability insurance that covers you if you can’t do the specific job you had before the disability. Disability insurance can be a challenge to get so make sure you get with a good insurance agent/provider that can help you get this into place quickly and securely.
The other insurances you will want to consider are as follows:
- Supplemental Disability Insurance (to supplement existing disability policies)
- Worker’s Compensation insurance
- Life Insurance
We suggest purchasing liability, health, and disability before taking the full leap. You may have noticed that those come standard in most W2 jobs, and for good reason. You should have these three lined up and ready to go before the transition so that there is no break in coverage that could create vulnerability for you and your family. However, all the above are obviously very important. Look at the expenses of all these insurances and budget accordingly. Make sure to educate yourself and know what you’re buying. Financial planners and insurance agents can be extremely helpful when it comes to getting these insurances in place. Use those resources if necessary to make things even more simple. Even though I have historically handled all of my own insurances, I gladly pay my accountants and lawyers to handle the things I don’t have the time, energy or know how to tackle myself! The most successful and least stressful businesses are run by teams. Do yourself a favor and come to terms with that early and put the right team mates in place for a stress free 1099 lifestyle.
So, that’s our BIG 3 of 9 to prepare prior to going full-time 1099.
- Make sure you’re financially ready.
- Determine what type of anesthesia business is right for you.
- Make sure you have the appropriate insurances lined up to get started.
Head on over to the 1MAC app and sign-up for free to see the other 6 things to prepare prior to going full-time 1099. We will be putting out consistent releases of content in app to take you through the entire preparation and management of your 1099 anesthesia lifestyle. Please let us know of any content you may be interested in seeing below in the comments section. We’re on a mission to educate, empower, and enable providers to connect, collaborate, negotiate, and contract like never before! This is 1MAC anesthesia’s most dynamic freelance marketplace app…
