Are you a musician living without health insurance?
You’re not alone. A 2002 FMC survey of 2,700 musicians revealed that the complicated process of obtaining health insurance overwhelmed many of them.
In 2005, FMC teamed up with Alex Maiolo and Chris Stephenson to create HINT – the Health Insurance Navigation Tool. HINT provides informed, musician-friendly support and advice to musicians who need information about health insurance, for free.
Photo of Punk Rock Orchestra by Jeffrey Goldsmith © 2005.
Are you a musician, songwriter or composer? Are you currently living without health insurance?
Make an appointment to get advice
Click here to request an appointment. HINT appointments are currently available Monday through Thursday, 7 PM – 8:30 PM Eastern time. Appointments are 30 minutes long.
After filling out this form and answering a few questions, your request will be emailed to our HINT team and they will confirm the date and time with you.
All calls are confidential. FMC will collect summary data on the insurance needs of musicians so that we will better understand how to effectively work towards providing health insurance for artists in the future.
Interview with HINT consultant Alex Maiolo, July 2007
HINT doesn’t sell health insurance. We offer advice to musicians.
Read our musician-friendly articles. Make an appointment to get personal advice, from health insurance experts who are also musicians. We see this project as a safety net for those musicians who remain uninsured because of lack of support or clear information. Those musicians who reach out for help will get it. With this small step we hope to bridge the gap between confusion and need.
HINT is made possible by a grant from the Nathan Cummings Foundation.
Articles
Health Insurance Overview
If you don’t know where to begin, then start with this overview of the seven ways you could obtain health insurance including employer-based plans, individual plans, state-funded initiatives, benefits offered by music unions, each with links to further information.
Understanding Stop Loss
The majority of Americans who have health insurance get it through their employer. But what it if you leave that company to pursue your musical dream? What it you don’t have a job that offers benefits? A quick look at the simple economics will probably lead you to decide that health insurance seems like an unaffordable luxury. But we urge you to think again. There are ways to engage in the health insurance system that ensure that you have coverage when you need it most, without breaking the bank.
Health Savings Accounts
A Health Savings Account – HSA – is a relatively new financial strategy that allows the insured person to save money in a tax-free account that can be used to pay for future health costs. Can musicians and creators use this new tool to their advantage?
Best Practices
An area where we’re collecting information about companies or organizations that are offering health insurance, either through traditional group plans or through novel ideas, that offer the flexibility that musicians need.
Glossary of Terms
Half the battle in understanding health insurance is figuring out the lingo and keeping all the terms straight. Here’s a glossary with the most-used terms, also posted on each article page.
Resources
Reports and organizations working on comprehensive health care reform.
Disclaimer: Future of Music Coalition provides basic health insurance information to answer your basic health insurance option questions. Insurance is regulated on a federal basis and by each state, and each insurance carrier rules and policy terms may differ from state to state and between individuals. Therefore, you acknowledge and agree that any insurance-related information provided by or through the Website is general information only, and may not apply to your particular situation. FMC does not endorse any insurance carrier, product, or policy and is not responsible or liable for any information provided on the website, by a HINT representative or other resource. FMC shall not be responsible for any injury, loss, or damage which occurs as a result of any statements, advice or information provided in or through the HINT program, or for the reliability or accuracy of same. In addition, any user of the HINT program who chooses to make any personally identifiable information or other information publicly available to a HINT representative or otherwise does so at his or her own risk. Such disclosures are expressly excluded from the terms of our Privacy Policy. For more information see our terms of service.