I am a subscriber to Don Crozier's newsletter from the Best of Missouri Hands and a recent issue included two separate opportunities for health insurance for artists. I have investigated them only cursorily, but am going to list them here for your investigation.
1. From Joan Merrell: I may have already sent this in, but my calligraphy organization has just joined the Open Arts Network through Fractured Atlas, a group dedicated to getting affordable health and liability insurance to artists (as
well as branching into other helps for learning to run an art business or group, get grants, etc.). The more people involved, the better the insurance deals and it costs NOTHING for a group like BOMH (Best of Missouri Hands) to join. If you are interested go to www.fracturedatlas.org to check it out, Adam Natale is the contact person.
2. From Scott Snail: As some of you may know, I'm a local sculptor living in the Metro East and teaching on both sides of the river. I'm also a board member of the Potters Council, a national nonprofit ceramic artists group sponsored by the American Ceramic Society. We offer a range of benefits for members including a web presence in our members' gallery with (soon) online sales, as well as member discounts on things like Ceramics Monthly and Pottery Making Illustrated magazines, books published by the American Ceramic Society, workshops and conferences that we sponsor, credit card services, shipping, rental cars, dental, optical and chiropractic services, hearing aids,
and now:
HEALTH INSURANCE!
After a number of years of searching, we have contracted with a reputable insurance firm to offer group health insurance benefits to members, at rates much better than any individual plans we know of, and comparable to many employer-based group plans.
No, I'm not shilling for anyone but the Potters Council, and there's no money in it for me or anyone else involved. But, we are a young and still growing organization, and every new member strengthens our ability to offer more and better benefits in the future. For things like group insurance, and even shipping discounts, there is strength in numbers!
Membership is open to anyone, and runs $40 a year. We're not just for potters, but for anyone working in clay, at any skill level. In fact, we don't even limit it to that. While many of our benefits will be of interest mainly to ceramics people, a lot of our benefits (like health insurance) would be worthwhile to anyone who needs those services and could use a discount. Increased membership benefits everyone involved, so even if you are a painter, a printmaker, a photographer, a poet, or whatever, it might be worth looking into. Anyone is welcome to join, even if you've never worked in clay and don't plan to. Maybe we'll recruit you later! (Just kidding.)
Seriously, it's a pretty good deal. Not free, for sure, but a lot cheaper than most other options, and we'd love to have you as a member.
Feel free to visit the website for more details about the organization: http://www.ceramicartsdaily.org/potterscouncil/
I would be very interested in learning if anyone investigates these options and what they learn from them. It seems like an impossible task, finding affordable health insurance for the self-employed. Yet, on that topic, here in Michigan we became members of the local Chamber of Commerce some years ago and were then eligible for the health insurance that was available to Chamber members. AND it was very affordable.
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