Agency employee or 1099 nurse
Some travel nurses work for a staffing agency as employees on a W-2, and the agency may offer a health plan. Others are independent contractors who take per-diem shifts through an app or an agency and are paid on a 1099. A 1099 nurse usually has no employer plan at all.
If an agency offers a plan, ask when it starts and when it ends. Some agency plans begin only after an assignment starts, and some end when the contract does. Ask what happens in the weeks between assignments, and whether COBRA (a federal rule that can let you continue an employer plan for a limited time) is available.
The gap between contracts
A contract ends and the next one is not signed. You may take time off, move, or wait for a start date. The income stops, and the plan may stop with it. A private plan is one you apply for yourself, directly with a carrier, and it is not tied to a contract. The start date depends on the plan, so ask your advisor which date applies. Do not let an agency plan end before the next is active.
Will the network work where you work?
For a traveling nurse, the network is the first thing to check. Some plans have networks that also work outside Florida, and others do not. Ask how a plan treats urgent care, emergency care and routine visits in the state of your next assignment, and whether telehealth is included.
Ask also whether the plan stays in force when you work in another state for months at a time. If your family stays in Florida, they need doctors near home too.
Pay packages, stipends and your own protection
Travel pay packages can include an hourly rate plus housing or meal stipends, and how those payments are taxed is its own topic. Talk with a tax professional who knows travel nursing about your situation. Malpractice or liability coverage is separate too: it protects you if a patient makes a claim, and it does not pay for your own doctor visits.
What a private plan means for a nurse
A PPO (preferred provider organization) steers you to its network, where care usually costs less. The plans we offer are private plans, not ACA Marketplace plans, and they have exclusions and limitations. An advisor explains the details.
A gap between assignments is a good time to look, because you can apply at any time of year. Nurses under 65 who are paid on a 1099 or through an agency may have no employer plan to join. Plans may not cover every benefit, so your advisor goes through the terms with you before you apply.
Taxes: a general note
Nurses who are independent contractors may be able to use the IRS self-employed health insurance deduction, figured on Form 7206 and reported on Schedule 1 of Form 1040. If you are an agency employee on a W-2, it may not apply to you. This is general information, not tax advice, so talk with a tax professional about your situation.