Your job is physical, your income depends on your body, and your employer may not offer benefits at all. Here is how tradespeople actually get covered, and what to layer on top for the risks of the work itself.
Most tradespeople without employer coverage buy an ACA marketplace plan, then layer supplemental coverage for injury risk. Construction has the highest uninsured rate of any major industry, about one in four workers, but individual plans are available year-round through special enrollment or open enrollment, and accident coverage can be added any time.
Four gaps that hit tradespeople harder than anyone:
It covers on-the-job injuries for employees. Off the clock, between jobs, or working 1099, you may be outside it entirely.
Work slows, coverage tied to a job ends, and the off-season can mean months without benefits.
The average marketplace deductible grew by about $1,000 per person this year. A ladder fall costs the same either way.
First the hospital bill, then the missed weeks of income. A physical job means you cannot work hurt.
The typical build is a base plan plus injury protection. In order:
| Workers’ comp | Accident insurance | Hospital indemnity | Major medical | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| When it applies | On-the-job injuries, employees only | Injuries on or off the job | Any covered hospital admission | Any covered care |
| Covers 1099 workers | Usually not | Yes, you own the policy | Yes, you own the policy | Yes |
| What it pays | Medical costs plus partial wages, per state rules | Set cash per injury type | Set cash per day admitted | A share of the bill after your deductible |
| Who gets paid | Providers, plus wage benefits to you | You | You | The provider |
Not sure where your state’s workers’ comp leaves off and your own coverage should begin? That is a five-minute phone question: (214) 396-9356.
From federal injury and cost data:
| Benchmark | Figure |
|---|---|
| Construction and extraction worker deaths, 2024 | 1,032 (BLS) |
| Construction workers without health insurance | About 1 in 4, the highest of any major industry (CPWR/CDC) |
| Average ER visit without insurance | Roughly $2,900 |
| 2026 marketplace premium increases | About 26% on average (KFF) |
| 2026 average deductible growth | About $1,000 more per person (KFF) |
Sources listed at the bottom of this page.
These pay cash benefits directly to you, on top of your health plan, and they stay with you between employers and job sites.
The core layer for any trade. Set cash benefits for injuries, on or off the job, paid straight to you.
Explore Accident A set cash amount for each day of a hospital stay. The buffer between a jobsite injury and your savings.
Explore Hospital Indemnity
Predictable cash payouts across doctor visits, tests, and procedures. Steady help for variable income.
Explore Fixed Indemnity
A lump sum on diagnosis of a covered condition, when working through it is not an option.
Explore Critical Illness
Teeth and eyes take a beating in the trades too. Standalone plans keep checkups covered.
Explore Dental & Vision
If your family depends on your paycheck, a term policy costs less than most tool insurance.
Explore Term LifeSupplemental and fixed indemnity plans are not comprehensive health insurance and don't replace an ACA-compliant medical plan. We'll always tell you which is which.
Through the ACA marketplace, year-round if a life event opens a special enrollment window, or during open enrollment each fall. Premium tax credits can cut the cost substantially depending on income. Most tradespeople we work with pair that base plan with accident coverage, since the marketplace plan alone leaves a deductible that a jobsite injury can hit in one day.
No. Workers’ compensation only applies to work-related injuries and illnesses, and only for employees. Weekend projects, sports, car accidents, and anything at home fall outside it. That gap is exactly what personal accident insurance exists for: set cash benefits for injuries wherever they happen, paid directly to you.
The same marketplace plans as anyone else, plus a tax advantage: self-employed workers can generally deduct health insurance premiums above the line, which lowers taxable income. From there, most add accident and hospital indemnity coverage, because 1099 status usually means no workers’ comp safety net either.
It is one of the strongest fits in the industry. Construction carries the highest fatal and nonfatal injury rates of any major sector, and accident plans pay set cash amounts for fractures, lacerations, ER visits, and more, on or off the job. Premiums are modest, benefits start day one, and the policy follows you between employers.
It varies widely by age, state, and income, and 2026 premiums rose about 26% on average after the enhanced subsidies expired. Premium tax credits still exist and many contractors qualify. The honest answer requires running your numbers, which a licensed agent can do in one call at no cost.
You are personally responsible for the bills, and an ER visit alone averages close to $2,900 before treatment costs. If you are a 1099 contractor, workers’ comp likely does not apply either. Getting a base plan plus accident coverage in place before the busy season is the fix.
Yes. Losing job-based coverage opens a 60-day special enrollment window for a marketplace plan. And supplemental policies you own yourself, like accident or hospital indemnity, never pause between jobs in the first place. That continuity is a big part of why tradespeople buy their own.
It pays a set cash amount for each day you are admitted to the hospital, often with a lump sum on admission. For physical work, that means a serious injury produces cash while you cannot work, on top of whatever your health plan pays. It is the second layer we most often add for tradespeople.
Injury data from the BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (2024). Uninsured rates from CPWR/CDC construction industry data. 2026 premium and deductible changes from KFF. ER cost estimates from published 2026 market data. Figures current as of July 2026.
Supplemental and fixed indemnity products pay fixed cash benefits and are a supplement to health insurance, not a substitute for major medical coverage. Workers’ compensation rules vary by state; nothing here is legal advice.