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This is really one of the bad problems with the gig economy in the USA. Even Switzerland, which requires private insurance, disallows group plans to detach insurance from employment, making labor markets more liquid and flexible (as well as preventing huge distortions in the individual healthcare market).

Your dad does have one social net: even 1099's must opt into SS and Medicare (paying both employer and employee shares, unfortunately), at least.

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They can deduct the employer share though? Or is that just self-employment taxes?

Basically they are self-employment taxes, which is just the employer side of payroll taxes.

SE tax is the employer share, and its a bit complicated. As a 1099, you are required to pay the full SE tax generally minus (a couple?) deductions. But then, you are allowed to deduct half of what you pay in SE tax from your income for regular income tax. The SE tax is also paid I believe only up to some income limit. Then, there's the Medicare tax on top of that, which is not income-limited.

> SE tax is the employer share, and its a bit complicated

SE is equivalent to both employee and employer share, which is why you get to deduct half of it, equivalent to the employer share (which is not included as taxable income for other workers, either.)

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