Affordable Health Insurance for Artists

Health care costs have been steadily rising since 1980, and they show no signs of stopping yet. Paying for medical care can be particularly tough for painters, musicians and writers, as they're self-employed and often struggling financially. The federal reform of health care in 2010 offers some solutions but there are other programs already in place that may help.

Local Programs

• There are programs in cities and states around the country that help people in the arts find affordable insurance. Minnesota's Springboard for the Arts group, for example, offers artists a voucher for medical treatment at a Minneapolis clinic. The Artist Access program at Brooklyn's Woodhull Hospital gives artists credit toward medical treatment in return for donating their services as, for example, photographers, painters or storytellers. The Hour Exchange program in Portland, Maine, makes a similar offer.

Arts Organizations

• If you belong to one of the unions for creative professions, such as the Screen Actors Guild or the American Federation of Musicians, you may be able to obtain affordable insurance that way. Other groups, such as the Freelancers Union, offer self-employed professionals a way to participate in group plans. There are also organizations such as the Artists Health Insurance Resource Center that don't provide insurance directly but offer guides to finding affordable health insurance in your state or city.

Federal Reform

• The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will have a big effect on artists and other uninsured individuals as long as it remains on the books. Beginning in 2014, the act will require all Americans, with a few exceptions, to take out insurance coverage; individuals who aren't covered by Medicare or an employer's insurance plan will be able to buy insurance in exchanges, with subsidies available to people whose income falls below 400 percent of the federal poverty level.

Charity

• If you can't find health insurance you can afford, the next best thing is to find affordable care. The National Association of Independent Artists has links to possible sources on its website, such as free clinics, community health centers and hospitals that provide charitable help. Other links connect with programs providing free or discounted prescriptions for people who can't afford them. If you can use the programs to get basic health care and control problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease, this is more cost-effective than fighting the effects if the illness is left uncontrolled.