For many traditional employees, insurance is something handled through work —health coverage through an employer, disability benefits through HR, life insurance offered during open enrollment. But for freelancers, independent contractors, and self-employed workers, it doesn’t work that way.

When you work for yourself, you’re often piecing together your own safety net.

That’s why National Insurance Awareness Day on June 28 is an important reminder for freelancers to take stock of the protections they have in place and the gaps that may still exist. Insurance isn’t just about planning for worst case scenarios. It’s about creating stability in a working world where independent workers are too often left to navigate risk on their own.

Freelancers know that flexibility comes with tradeoffs. There’s no paid sick leave if you’re too ill to work. No employer-sponsored disability plan if an injury sidelines you. No built-in life insurance policy to help protect your family. If your income depends on your ability to keep producing, creating, consulting, delivering, or caring, then protecting that income matters.

Health insurance is a critical piece of that equation, but it’s not the only one. Disability insurance can help protect a freelancer’s income if illness or injury prevents them from working. Life insurance can help support loved ones and provide financial protection for families. And depending on your profession, general liability or professional liability coverage may also be essential to protecting the business you’ve built.

National Insurance Awareness Day is a good opportunity to ask: Does my coverage reflect my life today? Do I understand what protections I actually have? If something unexpected happened tomorrow, would I have a plan?

At Freelancers Union, we know that freelancers deserve more than patchwork systems and one-size-fits-all advice. Independent workers deserve access to clear information, affordable options, and benefits that reflect the way they actually work and live.

Because building a freelance career shouldn’t mean doing it without a safety net.