I don't have a dog in the health insurance fight. I think it is outrageous how much I have to
pay for health insurance. However I also
believe that no one should be forced to go without health insurance. Most of my clients are involved in the arts
in some capacity and I am concerned for their well-being. I am pretty sure that
a lot of these folks don’t have health insurance. Nate Rau recently reported in the Tennessean that out of a recent
survey of professional musicians, actors, dancers, visual artists and film
makers, nearly 43 percent were without health insurance and out of this
number, 88 percent claimed that they simply could not afford it; no
surprise there.
Artists
typically do not have "employers" in the traditional sense so up
until now the only alternative for them has been self-insurance, a market which
seems to raise its rates every time the wind blows. Insurance is too expensive; yet I have seen
the devastating effects of unexpected medical costs on families and have to say
that having some form of health insurance is the only prudent solution.
So this
gets us to the Affordable Health Care Act.
Against the will of the Tea Party that thinks that it is too much and
the left that thinks that it is not enough, the government has taken the first
steps to try and fix the insurance inequity problem in this country. I have been reading about the so called
"marketplace" available at www.healthcare.gov and I can't see a
reason for an uninsured person not to investigate it. On the face, the rates seem quite
reasonable. If you are completely
confused by all of this I recommend
reviewing a pamphlet from the Legal Aid Society called "Here's How the
Affordable Health Care Act/Health Care Law Can Help You". This does a good job of explaining how the
new law works. For those who complain
that the web site is slow or wonky all I can say is "remember dial up
internet access?" It's time to stop
complaining and start researching.
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