occasional ideas about arts + people + places: Artists and Health Care

Art and artists make our community unique, memorable, exciting, and a place we all want to live, work, and play. Our arts make this region a place people want to visit.

Yet, the cost of health care and insurance can stifle creativity by limiting the choices of artists. Some artists are stuck in jobs they'd like to leave because they need the employer-based insurance. Others go without insurance in order to avoid taking a job that might limit time for creative endeavors. We've even heard of artists who get or stay married because they need insurance. (We're not saying that marriage limits creativity necessarily, of course.)

New health care options will open up possibilities for many people - especially artists. Artists are more likely than others to go without insurance or to pay for their own insurance in the private market.

To explore the new health care opportunities and requirements, Art on the Streets and Know Theatre recently hosted representatives from Get Covered America and kynect to a conversation with artists in the region.

Representatives from these organizations are happy to answer questions and provide information and enroll people in the new insurance marketplaces. They shared follow-up information and will be working with us to plan an enrollment day at Know Theatre in December.

Stay tuned! If you want, we'll send you a note when we schedule the enrollment event -- just sign up using the form below.

Meanwhile here are some resources you can use now.

ARTISTS AND HEALTH CARE - NEW RESOURCES

For more information about enrollment assistance in Ohio: email enrollcincinnati@cognosante.com

For more information about enrollment assistance in Kentucky:

call 859-581-6607

email dfogarty@nkcac.org

visit the KY website at https://kynect.ky.gov where you can check your eligibility and go through a prescreening process or call 1-855-4kynect (459-6328)

Estimate your annual costs and eligibility for tax credits using the Kaiser Family Foundation calulator: http://kff.org/interactive/subsidy-calculator/

Get Covered America also offers a calculator, with an estimate of monthly costs:

http://www.getcoveredamerica.org/calculator/

Fact sheet about payment assistance/tax credits (it’s on the kynect website, but the facts apply to people in all states)

http://1.usa.gov/1aCshnT

Artists can find additional resources at the Future of Music Coalition website: http://health.futureofmusic.org/