My particular journey into the tangled web of healthcare for the individual artist/sole proprietor began immediately upon my graduation. In Massachusetts, healthcare coverage for students is mandatory—but that obligation ceases once your school becomes your alma mater. Doctorate in hand but with no tenure-track or full-time anything in sight, what was I to do for health insurance?
I turned to my voice teacher for advice. She suggested Northeast Business Trust, located in Billerica, Mass. Founded in 1979, this organization is, “an association of small business owners dedicated to serving the interests of the small business community in the Northeastern region of the United States,1” although in practice, “Northeast” means New England, and some of its health insurance plans are available only in Massachusetts. Nevertheless, NBT offers a variety of HMO plans, both with and without prescription drug coverage, from such respected organizations as Harvard Pilgrim and Tufts. Premiums start at about $150 a month and go up from there.
I requested an application, registered myself as a business, and joined. My Touring Artists gig with a local theatre company, plus a part-time curatorial job at a university library, gave me the sole proprietor status I needed and paid me enough to afford the $100 annual membership fee and my $200-plus in monthly premiums (which rose to $250 on the following Jan. 1).
NBT’s information packet includes a brochure for the Insurance Partnership, which pays small businesses and self-employed individuals (in Massachusetts) up to $1,000 a year towards health insurance costs for each qualified employee. Note that word, “qualified.” As a sole proprietor, to obtain this aid you must earn less than $18,624 a year—the same income standard a single individual must meet to qualify for free or reduced-cost healthcare under the MassHealth benefits plan.
MassHealth is a statewide program intended to make healthcare available to everyone at little or no cost, using the doctors and services of local public hospitals. However, if the time-tested combination of adjunct teaching, part-time office work and performing allow you to live slightly above the poverty level, you are out of luck, as I was for both the Insurance Partnership and MassHealth.
Alas, all good contracts must come to an end, and I returned to my native New York City to perform, teach and renew my healthcare search. I went to the Actors’ Fund website for information, after coming across a reference to Actor’s Fund in a book on health insurance options. Despite the name, this organization serves all entertainment industry professionals. Its Website includes the Artists’ Health Insurance Resource Center, and a click-on map of the United States featuring excellent information about both national and local organizations that offer health insurance. For those in New York state, the AHIRC has a PDF document, Looking for Health Insurance in New York State: An Income-based Guide, which is quite thorough and up-to-date. Through the AHIRC, I found out about Healthy NY, a statewide plan that offers reduced-cost health insurance to small employers, individuals and sole proprietors. Your income limit as an individual or sole proprietor is more generous here than in Massachusetts, though not by much: $23,275.
All the big names—Empire/Blue Cross, GHI [Group Health, Inc.], HIP [Health Insurance Plan of New York], Oxford, Aetna—and some small names, offer a variety of HMO plans. Most premiums are less than $200 a month and require $20 co-pays for office visits to your primary care physician (PCP). As these are pared-down versions of the HMOs’ regular offerings, specialists are generally not included.
Knowing that on occasion I may need to see a specialist, however, I sought other options. I looked into my organizational memberships, and discovered that Early Music America offers health insurance through The Entertainment Industry Group Insurance Trust (TEIGIT). EMA, “serves and strengthens the early music community in North America—including professionals, amateurs, and enthusiasts—and raises public awareness of early music.2” Membership is only $40 a year, and includes a subscription to EMA’s magazine, as well as a variety of member services, including instrument, health, life and dental insurance. Unfortunately, I also discovered that these benefits are not available in some states, including New York. EMA cannot offer its health insurance plan in New York because it doesn’t have an office there. Ah, regulations!
I turned next to Chamber Music America, which offers health insurance both through TEIGIT and through MBL Financial. Its yearly dues are $85, and members receive subscriptions to its magazine, discounts on workshops and the annual National Conference, and access to professional development consultations, in addition to health, dental, long-term care and life insurance. Although touted as “affordable,” the premium is nearly $300 a month for TEIGIT’s Oxford HMO plan—without prescriptions, and with relatively high co-payments ($25 for your PCP and $40 for specialists). The downside of CMA’s TEIGIT plan is that it doesn’t include dental. CMA offers a separate plan through CIGNA Dental for that (for about $360 a year). Also, the plan includes no vision benefits. I signed on, but kept looking for more affordable options.
I looked into The Field, a multi-discipline arts service organization whose twin mottoes are “art grows here” and “you reap what you sow.” The Field offers valuable services, such as online resources for discounted rehearsal space, workshops in theatre, dance, writing and other disciplines, and eligibility for its non-profit sponsorship program. It does not offer health insurance.
However, if Field members have a joint membership with Dance Theater Workshop, they have access to DTW’s HMO plan. Available through HIP, this plan includes dental, and carries a premium of $350 (for Plan I). Combined with the joint membership, priced at $140 a year, this makes the entry price a bit steep, in my opinion.
I looked at Working Today, whose offshoot, the Freelancer’s Union, developed specifically to give “independent workers” access to affordable health, life and disability insurance. It is geared towards workers in a broad range of industries, including arts and entertainment. In addition to health insurance, the Freelancer’s Union offers financial services such as 401(k)s, IRAs and checking through Citibank. The annual membership fee is low—only $25—and for premium membership (this is the kind that gets health and other insurances) there is a $40 one-time account setup fee ($25 if completed online).
The Freelancer’s Union offers two insurance plans through HIP, one for $200 a month and another for close to $300 a month. Both include prescriptions, dental and vision. Unfortunately, you must live in New York City to take part in these benefits, or, if you live out of state, use HIP’s New York City network of doctors. I also found Freelancer’s to be rather unsympathetic to the needs of performers who are just starting out and earning a little bit of income from various sources, but who aren’t necessarily working 20 hours a week or earning $10,000 in six months from their specified fields (nonprofit, financial services, technology, media & advertising, traditional and alternative healthcare providers, arts & entertainment, or childcare giver). Note that private teaching does not count as one of these eligible fields, which would seem to preclude those of us who run our own studios.
Through another singer, I found out about Fractured Atlas, a relatively new organization (they’ve been around for two years). Their motto, “Liberate the Artist,” suits me just fine. FA’s easy-to-navigate website has information on all their member services, which include fiscal sponsorship, consultation, legal services, discounted studio rental, workshops, and other events that provide excellent networking opportunities. Membership is $75 a year, and members have access to an assortment of health insurance options. The least expensive is a plan offered by AIG; it combines a discount plan (10-50 percent off doctors, specialists and other services), a 24-hour NurseLine and a hospital indemnity plan. FA also offers standard HMO plans from HIP, priced at around $300 a month, and others priced between the two extremes. As with everything, availability varies by state. I decided to switch from my Oxford plan to a less-expensive plan offered through FA. Will it be the health insurance plan of my dreams? I hope so. I’m sick and tired of searching.
Resources:
The Actors’ Fund and the Artists Health Insurance Resource Center: www.actorsfund.org & www.ahirc.org
Chamber Music America: www.chamber-music.org
Dance Theater Workshop: www.dtw.org
Early Music America: www.earlymusic.org
The Fractured Atlas home page: www.fracturedatlas.org
Freelancers Union and Working Today: www.freelancersunion.org
Healthy NY: http://www.ins.state.ny.us/website2/hny/english/hny.htm (or call 1-866-HEALTHY NY)
To find up-to-date information on MassHealth: www.mass.gov: click on “Consumer” and then “Low-Cost Health Care.”
The Home page for Northeast Business Trust: www.nbtgroup.org
The Home Page for The Field: www.thefield.org
(Endnotes)
1 From the NBT Website: www.nbtgroup.org.
2 From the EMA Website: www.earlymusic.org
