Introduction to Health Insurance

Finding affordable health insurance remains a significant challenge today.  It is especially challenging for people without access to employer-provided insurance, such as self-employed artists or artists working on contract. At this time, Artist Trust has no special answer to this complex issue, but it is committed to helping find solutions.

Artist Trust, in cooperation with Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC) and other partners, is working on the Washington Artists Health Insurance Project (WAHIP). This project is working to find ways to improve artists' access to health insurance in Washington State. The project serves as a national model for development of state-based health coverage efforts to benefit artists. 

WAHIP will focus on four areas for increasing access to health coverage for artists based on research done in 2005.

1. Artist Trust is increasing education and information regarding health insurance and care access, and training artists on the responsibilities and costs associated with a self-employed career in the arts. Future versions of Artists' Assets and other tools will have enhanced information related to health coverage for artists.
   
2. A Task Force convened by 4Culture is seeking ways to create a model artists' health coverage plan in King County in cooperation with health care and insurance experts.
   
3. The Washington State Arts Alliance is investigating how artists and arts advocates can build and participate in advocacy efforts that expand state-supported programs that benefit artists or other
   legislation that has an impact on artists' access to coverage.
   
4. Artist Trust will work with the philanthropic community to explore the possibilities for new subsidy and funding streams in support of artists' health coverage.

The information here is intended to be a starting place for individual artists seeking health coverage while WAHIP moves forward on all these fronts.

IMPORTANT: Please be aware that the health insurance market changes very rapidly.  New insurance products, companies and resources may be available or existing programs may have new requirements or restrictions from what is listed here. Artist Trust does not recommend, endorse or guarantee any of these programs or plans.

Click here for a complete list of Health Insurance Resources.

Click here for more information about WAHIP.

HOW YOU CAN HELP!

Artist Trust is seeking volunteers that are interested in helping provide health benefits related information to artists either on the phone or in one-on-one sessions. Artist Trust will train you to answer questions specific to artists needs on the topic of health insurance and medical benefits.  If you are interested in this important volunteer work please send your contact information to miguel@artisttrust.org. Currently we are building a database of potential volunteers and we will contact you when the program is in place. Thank you!