Topline survey results from an online survey of over 3,400 US-based artists regarding their access to health insurance

1. Artists
+
health insurance survey
Survey findings
http://futureofmusic.org/hcr
October 15, 2013
Artists’ Health Insurance Resource Center and Future of Music Coalition

2. Artists and health insurance survey
Online survey designed by Future of Music Coalition and the Artists’
Health Insurance Resource Center, a program of the Actors Fund.
Information about the survey disseminated through a network of nearly 100
artist service organizations, associations, and state-based arts agencies.
The goal of the survey was to gather information from artists of all types –
dancers, theatre actors, visual artists, musicians, film/media artists – about
whether they currently have health insurance, and whether they thought
their health insurance status would change with the continued rollout of the
Affordable Care Act.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

3. Prior research on health insurance and artists
Future of Music Coalition has conducted two similar surveys in the past of
US-based musicians and composers.
• A 2002 survey found that, of the nearly 2,700 musician respondents,
44 percent did not have health insurance.
Future of Music Coalition: Health Insurance and Musicians (2002)
http://www.futureofmusic.org/article/research/health-insurance-and-musicians
• A similar survey in 2010 found that, of 1,451 musician respondents,
33 percent did not have health insurance.
Future of Music Coalition: Taking the Pulse: Survey on Health Insurance and Musicians (2010)
http://www.futureofmusic.org/article/research/taking-pulse-survey-health-insurance-and-musicians
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

4. Ongoing work on health insurance and artists
Since 1998, The Artists’ Health Insurance Resource Center (AHIRC) has
helped artists everywhere get affordable, quality health insurance and
health care. Created by The Actors Fund with a grant from The National
Endowment for the Arts, AHIRC hosts a carefully researched, constantly
updated and revised database of information about access to health care
and insurance. AHIRC also conducts in-person counseling, national
telephone support, and Getting and Keeping Health Insurance workshops
at arts, cultural and human services organizations throughout the country.
In 2005, FMC launched HINT — the Health Insurance Navigation Tool.
FMC doesn’t offer plans or sell health insurance; HINT simply provides
musicians with personalized advice about their health insurance options,
for free.
Future of Music Coalition: Get the HINT http://www.futureofmusic.org/hint/
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

5. Data from the survey
The following slides provide some top-level findings from the survey, which
was completed by over 3,400 US-based artists.
Executive summary and full report available at http://futureofmusic.org/hcr
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

6. Do you currently have health insurance?
No
43%
Yes
57%
All respondents
N=3402
43% of survey respondents do not currently have health insurance coverage. This is
over twice the national average of about 18% of the non-elderly population.
Kaiser Family Foundation. http://kff.org/other/state-indicator/nonelderly-0-64/
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

7. Do you currently have health insurance?
Percent insured by primary artistic discipline
Yes
No
Dance (N=148)
Film/Video/Media (N=235)
Literary Arts (N=181)
Music (N=1236)
Theatre (N=349)
Visual Arts (N=1155)
Other (N=98)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Do you currently have health insurance? N=3402
Some variation among artistic disciplines,
with musician respondents the least likely to be insured.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

8. Do you currently have health insurance?
Percent insured by personal income derived from art
Percent of personal income derived from art
Yes
No
none
10% to 20%
30% to 40%
50% to 60%
70% to 80%
90% to 100%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Do you currently have health insurance? N=3363
Essentially, the more personal income derived from art,
the less likely the respondent is to have health insurance.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

9. Do you currently have health insurance?
Personal income derived from art + artistic discipline
Percent insured by personal Film/media artists film/media artists
income derived from art, for
No
Yes
none
Percent of personal income derived from art
Percent of personal income derived from art
Yes
Percent insured by personal income derived from art, for musicians
Musicians
10% to 20%
30% to 40%
50% to 60%
70% to 80%
90% to 100%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Do you currently have health insurance? N=235
80%
90%
100%
No
none
10% to 20%
30% to 40%
50% to 60%
70% to 80%
90% to 100%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Do you currently have health insurance? N=1236
Likelihood of insurance varies a bit by art form and artistic discipline.
Film/media/video artists are slightly more likely to be insured, even if they derive
90% or more of their income from art. However, for musicians, the more of their
personal income they derive from their art, the less likely they are to be insured.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

10. Do you currently have health insurance?
Personal income derived from art + artistic discipline
Percent insured by personal income derived from art, for theatre artists
Theatre artists
No
Yes
none
Percent of personal income derived from art
Percent of personal income derived from art
Yes
Percent insured by personal Visual artists art, for visual artists
income derived from
10% to 20%
30% to 40%
50% to 60%
70% to 80%
90% to 100%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Do you currently have health insurance? N=349
80%
90%
100%
No
none
10% to 20%
30% to 40%
50% to 60%
70% to 80%
90% to 100%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Do you currently have health insurance? N=1155
Likelihood of insurance varies a bit by art form and artistic discipline.
Theatre artists are slightly more likely to be insured, even if they derive 90% or
more of their income from art. However, for visual artists, the more of their
personal income they derive from their art, the less likely they are to be insured.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

11. Do you currently have health insurance?
Percent insured by number of workweek hours spent on art
Yes
No
0 hours
1 to 19 hours
20 to 39 hours
40 to 59 hours
60 hours or more
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Do you currently have health insurance? N=3402
The more workweek hours spent on art,
the less likely respondents are to have health insurance.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

12. Do you currently have health insurance?
Percent of insured by age strata
Yes
No
Less than 24
25-29
30-34
35-39
40-44
45-49
50-54
55-59
60-64
65 or older
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Do you currently have health insurance? N=3319
Existing policy may be influencing this chart. Those under 26 can remain
on parent's plan, and those 65 or older are eligible for Medicare.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

13. Do you currently have health insurance?
All survey respondents
No
43%
Yes
57%
N=3402
“Full time” artists: those working 40+ hours/week
on art *and* deriving 100% of income from art
No
50%
Yes
50%
N=817
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

14. Percent uninsured by age strata:
survey respondents versus US Census data
Survey
Census
31%
Less than 24
27%
51%
25 to 34
27%
46%
35 to 44
21%
43%
45 to 64
16%
7%
65 and older
2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Compares uninsured survey respondents to US census data on uninsured by age strata
https://www.census.gov/hhes/www/hlthins/data/incpovhlth/2012/Table7.pdf
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

15. Do you currently have health insurance?
Percent insured by marital status
Yes
No
Single (N=1289)
Married (N=1281)
Lifetime partner (N=284)
Separated (N=33)
Divorced (N=337)
Widowed (N=56)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Do you currently have health insurance? N=3280
Respondents who are married or widowed most likely to be insured.
Singles and separated or divorced the least likely.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

16. Do you currently have health insurance?
Percent insured by number of children
Yes
No
No children (N=2071)
Any children (N=1192)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Do you currently have health insurance? N=3263
Respondents with any number of children
slightly more likely to have health insurance.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

17. Do you currently have health insurance?
Percent insured by household income
Yes
Less than $15,000
No
28%
$15,000-$34,000
41%
$35,000-$54,000
60%
$55,000-$74,000
74%
$75,000-$84,000
82%
$85,000 or more
93%
59%
Don't know
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Do you currently have health insurance? N=3207
The more household income, the more likely respondents
are to have health insurance.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

18. Do you currently have health insurance?
Percent insured by state
(states with 100 or more respondents)
Yes
No
Some differences by location. Artist
respondents from TX were the least
likely insured, while WA and IL –
both states that currently offer lowincome insurance plans to residents
– are more likely insured. This
finding mirrors general state-based
trends, as reported by Pew
Research Center.
CA (N=357)
CO (N=136)
FL (N=180)
IL (N=469)
NY (N=415)
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/09/19/
most-uninsured-americans-live-in-states-that-wontrun-their-own-obamacare-exchanges/
TN (N=131)
TX (N=236)
Respondents from MA – a state that already has
mandatory coverage for residents – reported 89%
insured, but with only 61 respondents, they did not
meet the minimum threshold to include in this chart.
WA (N=123)
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

19. 1%
2%
1%
1%
2%
For those without health insurance, primary reason
1%
2%
1%
1%
2%
5%
I can't afford it/it's too expensive
5%
I don't qualify/I have a pre-existing condition
It's a waste of money
IIcan't afford it/it's too expensivecoverage
don't know where to apply for
88%
IIt's too confusing to a pre-existing condition
don't qualify/I have apply for coverage
It's a waste of money
Don't know
II'm not interested to apply for coverage
don't know where
88%88%
I can’t afford it/
it’s too expensive
It's too confusing to apply for coverage
Other reasons mentioned in open-ended section (N=166)
A combination of the above, in particular, coverage is too
•Don't know
I'm not interested of pre-existing conditions
costly because
• Respondent doesn’t work enough hours to qualify for
employer or union coverage
• Some saying it's not worth the money
Overwhelming reason why they don't currently have health insurance;
they can’t afford it/it's too expensive.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

20. For those without health insurance, primary reason
Percent of respondents who said they don't have health insurance because
they "can't afford it" by artistic discipline
Dance
90%
87%
Film/Video/Media
Literary Arts
92%
Music
89%
Theatre
89%
Visual Arts
88%
77%
Other
50%
55%
60%
65%
70%
75%
80%
85%
90%
95%
100%
Percent of uninsured respondents. N=1478
Same data cross-tabbed by artistic discipline. The overwhelming reason why they
don't have health insurance remains that they can’t afford it/it's too expensive.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

21. For those with health insurance, who provides coverage?
For those with health insurance, who provides coverage
I pay for it myself/private insurance plan
39%
22%
My employer
Spouse's/partners's plan
Other sources of coverage mentioned in
open-ended section
• State plans (MA, VT, WA, IL)
• Association plan (AARP, Freelancers Union)
• Continued care as a retirement benefit
• Federal coverage for retired military or
federal workers
• Others mentioned a combination of plans,
such as private insurance to supplement
Medicare
17%
12%
Medicare/Medicaid
My parents
3%
COBRA/state continuation
3%
My union
2%
My school
1%
0%
The military
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
Respondents with health insurance. N=1927
Artist respondents more likely to be paying for own plan than general public.
According to Kaiser Family Foundation, just 6% of general US population has individual coverage.
Kaiser Family Foundation. http://kff.org/other/state-indicator/nonelderly-0-64/
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

22. For those with health insurance, who provides coverage?
For those with health insurance, who provides coverage
Those working 40 or more hours a week on art
I pay for it myself/private insurance plan
51%
16%
Spouse's/partners's plan
My employer
12%
11%
Medicare/Medicaid
My union
5%
COBRA/state continuation
3%
My parents
2%
My school
1%
0%
The military
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Respondents who spend 40 or more hours a week on art with health insurance. N=657
Of the “full-time” artists – those working 40+ hrs/week on art – who currently have insurance,
51% are paying for it themselves/have an individual plan.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

23. For those with health insurance,
biggest factors in choice of coverage
For those with health insurance, biggest factors in choice of coverage
Cost of plan
855
No choice: plan was chosen by employer/spouse's
employer
595
Coverage of plan
591
Only plan I could get
Other factors mentioned in open ended section
(N=195)
• Switched to Medicare automatically at age 65
• Best plan they could get (cost/options/preexisting conditions all a factor)
• Only plan they could afford
• No choice: plan chosen by parents
• No choice: plan offered by state
391
Size of network
163
Ease in working with insurance company
125
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
Respondents with health insurance. More than one answer allowed. N=1927
Cost of plan is most dominant factor.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

24. For those with health insurance,
cost of monthly premium
For those with health insurance, cost of monthly premium
Respondents with health insurance. N=1773
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
$0
$1 - $100 $101 $200
$201 $300
$301 $400
$401 $500
$501 $600
$601 $700
$701 $800
$801 $900
$901 $1000
more
than
$1000
I don't
know
Premium costs
Monthly premium strata shows that majority of respondents
with health insurance paying less than $400 a month. The average across
all respondents who know their premium is $289 a month.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

25. For those with health insurance,
cost of monthly premium and who pays
350
300
250
Military
Union
School
200
Parents
Medicare/Medicaid
150
Covered by COBRA/state continuation
Covered by spouse's/partners's plan
100
Employer
Pay for it myself/private insurance plan
50
0
$0
$1 - $100
$101 $200
$201 $300
$301 $400
$401 $500
$501 $600
$601 $700
$701 $800
$801 $900
$901 $1000
more than
$1000
I don't
know
Same data by who pays. For higher monthly premiums,
respondents are more likely to be paying themselves
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

26. For those with health insurance,
cost of monthly premium
1: me
2: me + spouse
3 or more
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
$0
$1 - $100
$101 $200
$201 $300
$301 $400
$401 $500
$501 $600
$601 $700
$701 $800
$801 $900
$901 $1000
more than
$1000
This breaks down the monthly premium strata by the number of individuals covered
by the plan. Individuals more likely to pay $0 to $200, whereas costs for those with a
spouse or children are more spread out.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

27. Understanding of Affordable Care Act
Understanding of Affordable Care Act
I understand it very well
I understand it somewhat
I don't understand it at all
I'm unsure
55%
8%
0%
38%
10%
20%
30%
26%
40%
50%
60%
29%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Percent of respondents. N=3380
When asked whether they understand how the ACA will impact them or their families, 55% of
respondents either said they “don’t understand it at all” or “I’m unsure”. A recent poll by Pew
Research Center/USA Today found a similar lack of understanding among the general population,
with 34% saying they “didn’t understand at all” how the ACA would affect them.
Pew Research Center. http://www.people-press.org/files/legacy-pdf/9-16-13%20Health%20Care%20Release.pdf
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

28. Understanding of Affordable Care Act
Understanding of Affordable Care Act by artistic discipline
I understand it very well
I understand it somewhat
I don't understand it at all
Dance
56%
Film/Video/Media
53%
Literary Arts
44%
Music
59%
Theatre
50%
Visual Arts
53%
Other
I'm unsure
62%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Percent who
“don’t understand”
or who are “unsure”
80%
90%
100%
Percent of respondents. N=3380
Looking at the same data by artistic discipline, when asked whether they understand
how the ACA will impact them or their families, a majority of respondents all but one
discipline say they “don’t understand it at all” or are “unsure”.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

29. Make changes to health insurance coverage
because of Affordable Care Act?
Make changes to health insurance coverage because of Affordable Care Act?
Currently insured and will continue with this coverage
Will shop on the state-based exchanges for an affordable plan
Will apply for Medicaid
Will remain uninsured and pay the penalty
I'm not sure
27%
0%
10%
29%
20%
30%
40%
4% 3%
50%
60%
37%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Percent of respondents. N=3222
More than a third of respondents are “unsure” about what they will do with continued
rollout of ACA in fall 2013. Again, artists are not unlike the general US population, which
reports widespread confusion about the policy, some disagreement with law in general,
and a lack of practical experience with to-be-launched insurance exchanges.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

30. Make changes to health insurance coverage
because of Affordable Care Act?
Currently insured and will continue with this coverage
Will shop on the state-based exchanges for an affordable plan
Will apply for Medicaid
Will remain uninsured and pay the penalty
I'm not sure
Dance (N=144)
Film/Video/Media (N=244)
Literary Arts (N=172)
Music (N=1169)
Theatre (N=330)
Visual Arts (N=1090)
Other (N=93)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Percent of respondents. N=3222
Film/media artists and musicians are most “unsure” about response to ACA.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

31. Make changes to health insurance coverage
because of coverage because of Affordable Care Act?
Make changes to health insuranceAffordable Care Act?
Currently insured and will continue with this coverage
Will shop on the state-based exchanges for an affordable plan
Will apply for Medicaid
Will remain uninsured and pay the penalty
I'm not sure
Currently has insurance
Uninsured
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Percent of respondents. N=3222
Greater ambivalence is reported by respondents who currently don’t have insurance. Again,
this is to be expected, given the lack of experience with the just-launched exchanges.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

32. Make changes to health insurance coverage
because of Affordable Care Act?
Make changes to health insurance coverage because of Affordable Care Act?
Currently has insurance
Uninsured
*
Currently insured and will continue with this coverage
Will shop on the state-based exchanges for an affordable plan
Will apply for Medicaid
Will remain uninsured and pay the penalty
I'm not sure
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
Number of respondents. N=3222
37% “unsure” includes nearly 500 respondents who currently have health insurance.
We suspect these responses (*), which reflect a counter-factual position based on
earlier answers, are respondents who didn’t read the question properly.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

33. Most important potential outcome
of Affordable Care Act
Most important potential outcome of Affordable Care Act
1245
Make health insurance more affordable
Providers cannot deny or drop coverage because of pre-existing
conditions
Other answers mentioned in open
ended section (N=308)
• All of the above, or a combination of
above, are important
• None of the above: the only solution
is single payer
• Affordable health care for all
Americans
• Do not think the ACA is going to
work
• ACA will make health insurance
more expensive
• Government will become too
involved in this business
• Disagree with the government
forcing them to pay for something
they can't afford or don't want
675
556
Can get coverage without having a salaried job with benefits
458
Give me peace of mind that I can get the care I need
60
Can comparison shop for a plan based on listed price and features
Make health insurance easier to understand
32
Make routine checkups and flu shots free
31
Eliminate lifetime limits on insurance payouts
21
Can move to a different state and still get coverage
21
Make health insurance claims less complicated/paperwork driven
20
Widen the network of doctors and specialists I can see
14
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
Number of respondents. N=3133
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

34. Most important potential outcome
of Affordable Care Act
Of available survey answers, the most common answers were:
•
•
•
•
Make health insurance more affordable (40%)
Providers cannot deny or drop coverage because of pre-existing conditions (22%)
Can get coverage without having a salaried job with benefits (18%)
Give me peace of mind that I can get the care I need (15%)
In open-ended section (N=308), respondents expressed other thoughts about ACA.
•
Some respondents hoped that “all of the above” would result
• A handful of respondents thought ACA didn’t go far enough, and hoped this was the
first step towards single payer or universal care.
• A small number of respondents said things like:
❖ They do not think the ACA is going to work
❖ They think the ACA will make health insurance more expensive
❖ Government will become too involved in this business
❖ They disagree with the government forcing them to pay for something they can't
afford or don't want.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

35. Open-ended thoughts
A final question asked if survey respondents had any other feeling about
health insurance. The responses fell into a number of broad categories:
• Existing system is too expensive
• New system is too complex
• Existing system is too complex
• Fear that new system will also be too
expensive
• Current plan doesn’t meet coverage
needs
• Keeping job to keep coverage
• Fear of illness
• Concerns that new plans won’t meet
treatment needs
• Confused by politics
• Think that the penalties are unfair
Quotes from respondents on these topics are included in report.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

36. Open-ended thoughts
A number of respondents talked about the specific needs of artists:
“As an artist, stability and employer-based insurance can be very hard to
come by, even when working the equivalent of full-time, or more.”
“When you're freelance, it's hard to determine true income when you submit
a form. Say you provide last year's tax return and you had a good year. But,
at the time you are applying, you aren't making that much money and so it
doesn't reflect your current income. It's hard to get people to understand
that.”
“It has been the biggest hardship of being a working artist. I don't regret my
decision to go out on my own, but had I known what costs were going to do
in the last 15 years I might have thought twice.”
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

37. Top level takeaways
1. US-based artists are less likely to be insured than the general
population.
2. Those who do have health insurance are more likely to be paying
for an individual plan then than the general population.
3. Of uninsured respondents, the vast majority – 88% – cite they can’t
afford it/it’s too expensive as the primary reason they don’t have
it. When broken down by artistic discipline, this still remains the
dominant reason.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

38. Top level takeaways
A breakdown of insured versus uninsured respondents shows that
artists who are spending more time or deriving more income from art
are less likely to have health insurance.
•
Time: The more workweek hours spent on art, the less likely respondents
are to have health insurance.
•
Reliance on art for income: The more personal income derived from art,
the less likely the respondent is to have health insurance.
•
Household Income: The lower the household income, the less likely the
respondent is to have health insurance.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

39. Top level takeaways
When asked how well they understand the Affordable Care Act, the
majority of survey respondents – 55% – either “don’t understand it at
all” or are “unsure” about the ACA. 59% of musicians either “don’t
understand it” or are “unsure”.
When asked whether they will make changes with enactment of ACA,
73% of those who are insured are either going to keep their current
plan or shop on the state-based exchanges. However, 51% those
who are currently uninsured are “unsure” about what they will do.
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013

40. Next steps
The slides, plus an executive summary and report, are available at
http://futureofmusic.org/hcr.
FMC and AHIRC are part of a task force that has been organized to help
musicians and artists navigate these health care changes. Other task force
members include:
Musicares
Healthy Artists
Head Count
Sweet Relief
Young Invincibles
Southern Arizona Artists and
Musicians Healthcare Alliance
O+ Festival
Health Alliance for Austin Musicians
As a task force, we are sharing information and pulling together artistcentric resources. http://health.futureofmusic.org
Online survey conducted by Future of Music Coalition and Actors’ Fund Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, July 15 - August 31, 2013