Health insurance for locum tenens physicians (& CRNAs)

Ryan Michalek, Licensed Health & Life Insurance Agent · NPN 21043091 · Last updated September 15, 2026

Why 1099 locum work changes the coverage question

Working locum tenens means you're an independent contractor, not an employee — 1099, not W-2 — and that one fact changes everything about coverage. The staffing agency places you and pays you, but it isn't your employer in the benefits sense; there's no company plan behind you between assignments. What you get instead is a plan you own outright — on the individual market, in your name, not tied to any single facility or contract. That can feel like a step down from hospital benefits the first time you look at it. It isn't. It means your coverage doesn't end the day an assignment does, and it carries straight from one placement to the next. The mechanics here are the same as they are for any self-employed professional; the self-employed health insurance guide is the full walkthrough of options, subsidies, and the tax deduction. This page is about the parts that are specifically a locum provider's story.

Coverage that continues between assignments

The wrinkle that catches locum providers isn't a busy month — it's the quiet stretch between placements, when nothing is scheduled and it's tempting to let coverage lapse to save the premium. That's the one instinct worth resisting. A plan you own is built for exactly the in-between: it doesn't care which facility signs the next contract, it doesn't reset when an assignment ends, and it carries through the gap instead of leaving you exposed the moment you can least afford a surprise. Because your work can move you across state lines, it's also worth matching a plan's network to where you actually live and get care, not just where the current placement is. If a real break is coming — a stretch off, a transition — there are better levers than going uninsured, and mapping those before the gap opens is part of what I'm here for.

1099 locum tenens options and what drives the price

As a locum provider you generally have two routes worth pricing side by side: a marketplace plan, which may come with an income-based subsidy, and a private under-65 plan bought directly. Here's the honest wrinkle for this field: locum work pays well, and a strong year of placements often puts a household past the point where a marketplace subsidy applies at all. That isn't a rate claim — it's just the fork in the road that quietly decides what fits. When you're paying full freight either way, the real question becomes which plan gives you the most for it, and what you'd actually pay turns on your household, your state, and how you and your family use care rather than any one advertised number. Knowing which side of that subsidy line you're on is the first thing to settle — and getting a clear, specific quote for your situation is exactly what an honest call is for.

The deduction — and where your CPA comes in

One of the quieter advantages of working independently: self-employed people can often deduct qualifying health-insurance premiums for themselves and their family. It's an above-the-line deduction, and it comes with rules — it interacts with any months you were eligible for other coverage, and it depends on how you've structured your locum income. That part is genuinely your CPA's department, and it should be; nothing here is tax advice, and I route the specifics to your accountant every time. My job is to get the coverage itself right so there's something worth deducting in the first place. The self-employed guide breaks the deduction down in more detail.

CRNAs and other independent providers

This isn't only a physician's situation. CRNAs, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other clinicians who take independent or 1099 contract work are in the same spot: no employer group plan, income that can arrive in blocks, and a need for coverage that continues between engagements. The path is the same one every self-employed professional walks — your own individual or private under-65 plan, kept in your name regardless of which facility you're contracting with this quarter. And it's not only about you: you can cover a spouse and kids on the same plan, just as a hospital plan would have, with the fit leaning on your income and how your household actually uses care. If you're an independent provider of any stripe, the coverage question is workable, and a short call is the fastest way to sort it.

Ready to see your options?

If you're working locum tenens and not sure whether you're overpaying — or even covered the right way through the gaps — start with the coverage cost estimator to see the landscape, then book a quick consultation when you want a real person to walk your specific situation with you. No pressure, no cost to talk.