Q: My husband is a cancer survivor and has been cancer free for 3.5 years. While we are thankful for his health, one lingering issue is health insurance. Thanks to federal laws, as long as one of us is employed with a corporation or some other job that provides coverage, we are okay. However, my husband has a great web development and hosting business outside of his corporate career that he could pursue full time if the benefits weren’t an issue.

Do you have any advice on this topic? How can someone self-employed who has a health “history” get insurance benefits? Any advice would be so helpful! Is there a standard length of time that a health insurance company requires before they will cover someone with cancer in their history?

A: You should go online at the following websites: www.ehealthinsurance.com,  www.healthinsurance.com

Also, your husband should look into joining a trade association that would be related to his field of business. Many trade associations offer health benefits as an option to members. By purchasing inside a “group,” (members of the association), the costs may be less expensive. For example, as a member of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), I can take advantage of certain health benefits.

Your husband can be insured, it’s just all about cost. I’d start online and see how prohibitive the costs are and then make the decision based on whether his booming business will allow you to have the kind of coverage you need to feel secure.

Congratulations to you and your husband for starting your own successful business. There’s nothing like working for yourself! (I’ve been doing it for 15 years.)