Within the music industry, the health care debate is being watched closely. The lack of access to affordable health insurance has been a persistent problem among artists for decades. According to a Future of Music Coalition poll, 44 percent of musicians go without insurance, almost three times the national average. It’s not that musicians are a singled-out minority, it’s just that so many fall into the cracks—chasms, really—in this country’s health care system. According to a 2008 government census, nearly 60 percent of people in this country are insured through an employer; most full-time musicians are essentially self-employed. More than 18 million of the uninsured are between the ages of 18 and 34; so are most aspiring rockers. The vast majority of the uninsured make less than $75,000 a year; ditto for all but the most successful artists. Then there are plenty of artists among the 12.6 million people in this country who are denied coverage based on a preexisting condition. read more
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Press Mention: Story of the Year: Health Care
Blog: Benefits for Chi Cheng of Deftones
In November 2008, Deftones bassist Chi Cheng was seriously injured in a car accident in Santa Monica, California. His injuries were so severe that he’s been hospitalized almost ever since, with much of his time spent in a coma in intensive care. If there’s an upside, it’s that he is now at home with his family.
Deftones are a widely-respected group even outside their core audience of metal fans. This is not doubt do to their genre-spanning sound, which employs atmospherics, tension and release and a strong melodic undercurrent. To call them the “metal Radiohead” wouldn’t be a stretch.
Since the band released its first album, Adrenaline, in 1994, they’ve steadily grown in popularity. Their most recent effort, Saturday Night Wrist, was critically well received, even garnering a glowing notice in The New Yorker. Deftones seemed primed to seize this momentum for their next record, until Cheng’s accident put a halt on the proceedings. read more
Blog: HINT at Pitchfork Music Festival
Attention musicians attending the Pitchfork Festival: Alex Maiolo, project coordinator for FMC’s Health Insurance Navigation Tool (HINT), will be at Chicago’s Union Park this weekend (July 17-19), to spread the word about FMC’s free service for musicians. read more
Blog: “HealthCare Remix” Discussion on Reform
On July 8, FMC will participate in a “HealthCare Remix” Discussion on Reform at the Service Employees International Union in Washington DC. For our part of the conversation, we’ll describe the Health Insurance Navigation Tool (HINT) — a free service that provides musicians with high-quality one-on-one info about their health insurance options, from a fellow musician/health insurance expert. read more
Press Mention: Future of Music Coalition HINT Program
