It says that i need to upgrade to prem because I have self-employed health insur. I'm retired, on Medicare, I do a little handyman work on the side that I claim.

You will need to upgrade to enter your self-employment income. 

Was your handyman side work at all profitable?  Your Medicare premiums are deductible and if you paid for your insurance through the marketplace, they are also deductible as a self-employed health insurance expense. This is different than taking an itemized deduction and does not affect your standard deduction. This can lower your self employed taxable income down to $0.  It doesn't help with your SE tax, just your tax on your ordinary income. The Self-Employed Health Insurance deduction is limited to your earnings.  Meaning, you cannot deduct more than you earned. This is also entered in the business expense section. 

Taking Business Expense Deductions