Talk, talk.
There’s a lot of talk circulating about the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. Health insurance can be confusing enough without the politically charged hoopla that is currently swirling around this topic.
Fortunately, there are some dance and artist-related sites and organizations that are helping us all stay informed and make sense of our healthcare options. Below I’ve listed more than 10 places dance people (dance professionals, teachers, artists, and organizations) can go for knowledge and help with healthcare.
Affordable Care Act Dates You Need to Know
Know the deadlines associated with new healthcare law.
Raising the Curtain on the Affordable Care Act
via Dance/USA
Answers to questions like What Will the Affordable Care Act Mean for Dancers?, How Will the Affordable Care Act Affect Dance Companies?, and How Does the Affordable Care Act Increase Access to Coverage? .
The Affordable Care Act: What it means for artists of all disciplines
via Athletes and the Arts
This post, which will be part of a series it seems, covers some of the basics about the ACA and encourages you to look for a local community health center that can help artists navigate healthcare options. There are lots of links to check out, too.
Buyer Beware: Dancers and the ACA
via Dance/USA
This article lists important considerations for dancers when purchasing health insurance, including details about coverage inside vs. outside the marketplace, why it will be important to report income changes, and why dancers should pay close attention to plan benefits.
Ask Amy Smith: Healthcare Edition
via PhiladelphiaDANCE.org
Amy Smith, financial literacy columnist for The Dance Journal, answers reader questions about healthcare options under Obamacare.
Artist’s Guides to Health Insurance and Reform
via Fractured Atlas
Fractured Atlas, if you aren’t familiar, is a national organization that supports individual artists of all types and arts organizations big and small. They’ve put together these guides to cut down on artist confusion about healthcare. In addition, you can find some very helpful links to Insurance coverage for Dancers and Dance Companies.
How To Find Help Understanding Coverage Options
via Dance/USA
Speaking of finding help, Dance/USA’s From the Green Room e-journal, lists some resources that provide help online, over the phone, and in person.
Upcoming Seminars
via The AHIRC Directory (a program of The Actors Fund)
The Artists’ Health Insurance Resource Center is listing upcoming seminars and events regarding healthcare. So far, there are regularly scheduled, free workshops in both Los Angeles and New York.
The Dancers’ Health Insurance Resource Center
The Actors Fund has received a grant from the Doris Duke Foundation to create this site. The goal is to have every dancer—and dancer’s family—insured by 2014. More cities, seminars, and resources are listed here.
What about Medicaid expansion?
As you may know, many states, such as my home state of Pennsylania and Texas, where I live now, have elected NOT to expand Medicaid. This puts some holes in the Obamacare plan. Expansion under the ACA was intended to help close the gap between the very poor currently on Medicaid and low-income individuals and families who do not receive insurance through work and cannot afford healthcare. That latter group often includes dancers and artists who frequently work part-time or freelance jobs, so from healthcare.gov itself, the link above answers the question, What if my state is not expanding Medicaid?
Dancing Around Healthcare: Making affordable choices at your dance studio
via Dance Teacher
This is an article from last year, but offers an important look at the small business concerns of offering healthcare to dance studio employees.
Have Questions, Links, or Resources to Share?
Leave your comments below!
A few disclaimers:
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First, the info in these links should not be construed as legal, tax, or health insurance benefit advice. Consult a trained professional!
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I try to review and moderate any links placed in our comment section as frequently as possible, however, PLEASE do your own research. Since the new health mandates, there have been a number of related scams reported. Be wary!
Nichelle Suzanne is a writer specializing in dance and online content. She is also a dance instructor with over 20 years experience teaching in dance studios, community programs, and colleges. She began Dance Advantage in 2008, equipped with a passion for movement education and an intuitive sense that a blog could bring dancers together. As a Houston-based dance writer, Nichelle covers dance performance for Dance Source Houston, Arts+Culture Texas, and other publications. She is a leader in social media within the dance community and has presented on blogging for dance organizations, including Dance/USA. Nichelle provides web consulting and writing services for dancers, dance schools and studios, and those beyond the dance world. Read Nichelle’s posts.
