News flash!
Thursday, August 19th, 2010 08:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rolanniThe Maine Arts Commission is dancing on the edge of being useful to Maine artists. From the bi-weekly newsletter:
4. *Maine** Arts Commission Plans Health Insurance Workshops*
The Maine Arts Commission is currently planning two workshops on health insurance options for artists; dates will be announced in the coming weeks. Special guests will include First District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree to speak about the federal Healthcare Reform Act and staff members from DirigoChoice which is now open again to artists who may wish to enroll for individual healthcare coverage. See below.
DirigoChoice is private health insurance coverage offered through Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. Small businesses (fewer than 50 employees), sole proprietors, and individuals are all eligible to enroll. DirigoChoice is open to new enrollees. Qualifying enrollees receive subsidies to help pay for their coverage. For more information about DirigoChoice, including covered benefits and costs, click here: http://www.dirigohealth.maine.gov/Pages/dirigo_choice.html.
Mind you, Dirigo Health was. . .time-consuming, byzantine, and depended on a weird overpayment-and-debit-card-refund scheme that also required you to trust not only the Gummint, but Anthem BC/BS.
There's a new administrating body now, so possibly the process has become less insane.
Or not.
It would be really useful if the Maine Arts Commission could form an arts membership organization of some sort, so that the artists of Maine could become an insurance group and take advantage of whatever benefits still accrue to such things, but that's probably wishing too high.
4. *Maine** Arts Commission Plans Health Insurance Workshops*
The Maine Arts Commission is currently planning two workshops on health insurance options for artists; dates will be announced in the coming weeks. Special guests will include First District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree to speak about the federal Healthcare Reform Act and staff members from DirigoChoice which is now open again to artists who may wish to enroll for individual healthcare coverage. See below.
DirigoChoice is private health insurance coverage offered through Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. Small businesses (fewer than 50 employees), sole proprietors, and individuals are all eligible to enroll. DirigoChoice is open to new enrollees. Qualifying enrollees receive subsidies to help pay for their coverage. For more information about DirigoChoice, including covered benefits and costs, click here: http://www.dirigohealth.maine.gov/Pages/dirigo_choice.html.
Mind you, Dirigo Health was. . .time-consuming, byzantine, and depended on a weird overpayment-and-debit-card-refund scheme that also required you to trust not only the Gummint, but Anthem BC/BS.
There's a new administrating body now, so possibly the process has become less insane.
Or not.
It would be really useful if the Maine Arts Commission could form an arts membership organization of some sort, so that the artists of Maine could become an insurance group and take advantage of whatever benefits still accrue to such things, but that's probably wishing too high.
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Re: Attend the Meetings and Share Your Views
Date: 2010-08-20 01:04 pm (UTC)I hope that the health care meetings are scheduled in places I can reach and not during day-job hours, because I do want to attend.
Also, yes, I did fill out the survey. I don't think I pulled any punches, though I'm not recalling any questions about health care.
I'm not, as you've noticed, one of the Commission's Big Fans. That could change; I hope it will change. I want to be a fan. It's very much to my advantage for Maine to have an arts commission that actually cares about, fights for, and understands its "constituents," rather than simply working to insure its own longevity.
I am a professional writer (http://www.sharonleewriter.com/) who, after a decade of making my living as freelancer had to "go back to work," in the vernacular of my co-workers, only so I could have access to affordable health insurance.
Being able to have affordable health insurance as a freelancer is a huge issue for me. It would mean that I could quit the day-job and make more art. I very much want to make more art.
And, just to assure you that I am not throwing stones at houses I haven't visited myself -- I was part of Dirigo when it was administered by Anthem and it was. . .I think Utterly Bizarre probably covers it. I do very much hope that Harvard-Pilgrim has done better.
Sharon Lee