The Artists’ Health Insurance Resource Center and other assistance available from the Actors Fund
If you are losing Equity-League coverage due to a loss of employment, we strongly encourage you to contact the Entertainment Community Fund. The Entertainment Community Fund created the Artists’ Health Insurance Resource Center specifically to help performers in these situations, as well as those who are uninsured and the underinsured. This is an excellent resource for performers in the entertainment industry.
The Entertainment Community Fund also offers other programs to help performing arts professionals in need, crisis, or transition. In addition to AHIRC, the Entertainment Community Fund also operates The Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts in New York City and provides other social services to performers.
The Artists’ Health Insurance Resource Center helps performers find affordable health coverage and health care services nationwide. In addition to the ahirc.org website, entertainment professionals may receive telephone or in-person counseling at AHIRC’s offices in New York and Los Angeles.
The center is an extremely valuable resource for performers who lose health coverage. AHIRC offers free weekly seminars and workshops on both coasts. These events help performers to learn about all coverage options available to them, including coverage offered through the ACA’s Marketplaces (for which AHIRC is a recognized navigator).
AHIRC also helps performers locate other resources that provide free or low-cost health services. The center also advocates for legislation that promotes access to coverage and health services.
To speak with a counselor or to obtain information on monthly workshops, please visit ahirc.org or call the resource center at (212) 221-7300, ext. 265 (New York City) or (323) 933-9244 ext. 32 (Los Angeles).
The Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic, operated by the Entertainment Community Fund, offers the following services at its location near Manhattan’s Theater District. All services are provided free of charge.
• Primary and specialty care to uninsured and underinsured performing arts professionals
• Urgent care services to insured performers
• Health screenings and patient education services
The clinic also works with BWAY (Better Wellness And You), a coalition that holds health fairs for industry performers throughout the year.
The clinic’s Medical Director oversees a team of volunteer practitioners and specialists who generously donate their time. The clinic also offers an after-hours on-call service to patients in collaboration with the Department of Family Medicine of Columbia University.
The Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic is open Monday – Friday and is located at 475 West 57th Street (on the corner of 10th Avenue). For more information, visit the clinic’s page at the Actors Fund site or call (212) 489-1939.
The Entertainment Community Fund provides free counseling, case-management and support services to entertainment professionals with significant health problems. The Entertainment Community Fund helps its clients access community-based resources and emergency financial aid for the payment of insurance premiums or medical bills.
Additionally, the Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative identifies and addresses important health issues for women in entertainment. In conjunction with the Hirschfeld Clinic, the initiative provides mammograms and gynecological exams free of charge to uninsured and underinsured women.
For more information about the Entertainment Community Fund’s social services and the Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative, please call (212) 221-7301 (New York City) or (323) 933-9244 (Los Angeles).
The Affordable Care Act and the Health Insurance Marketplaces
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) established the Health Insurance Marketplaces, which were launched in the fall of 2013.
The Marketplaces are a collection of e-commerce websites, sometimes referred to as “exchanges.” These sites help people shop for private health coverage available in their areas. Some states operate their own Marketplaces. The rest of the states offer one national Marketplace administered by the federal government.
The ACA requires all Americans to get health coverage, or pay a tax penalty. The ACA also provides for some to receive subsidies, based on income, to assist with purchasing coverage.
As an Equity-League Benefit Funds health Plan participant, consider this page your primer to the Marketplaces. The information, links, and resources provided here will help you understand all available coverage options – and which option is best for you.
If you think you may lose Equity-League Benefit Funds coverage based on a change in covered employment, take extra time to explore your options. The ACA greatly expands the options available to you when you lose coverage.
We’ve made this easy. Simply click the state where you live in the interactive map below to visit your Marketplace
Losing Coverage?
click on your state to find out more about the marketplace
The documents that describe the benefits we provide are linked below. For a high-level “apples to apples” comparison of multiple plans, start with the federally-standardized Summaries of Benefits and Coverage documents.
• Current Summaries of Benefits and Coverage for the Equity-League Health Plans
• Preventive care benefits
• Equity-League Health Fund Summary Plan Description
You can visit the following resources for current news about the Marketplaces and ACA health coverage.
• View our latest news announcements about ACA coverage
• Visit the HealthCare.gov Blog