I hate my health insurance.
I realize it’s somewhat childish to say that I “hate” my health insurance, but it’s at least a little bit true. When paying bill after astronomically expensive bill infuriates me, or when I get enraged at being informed that my insurance isn’t covering something I thought it would, a part of me tries to shut down my anger with an admonishment to grow up and accept the reality of healthcare in America. And then a scolding voice reminds me that, though my bills are outrageous, and though they may hinder my financial goals, I am able to pay them. This voice urges me to be grateful for that, as there are so many people who remain uninsured or underinsured and struggle with medical bills they are expected to pay 100% out of pocket. Then, a quiet voice cuts through the noise to remind me: it’s patriarchal power, racial capitalism, and corporatization of care that I hate. My health insurance is one of many consequences of systemic problems in this country. It’s not my health insurance that I hate but the social and political conditions in America that have allowed health insurance and hospitals to become giant, for-profit industries that bankrupt sick and injured people, and none of my internal voices try to convince me that my hatred of these forces is misplaced or childish.
After being covered by employers’ health insurance plans for most of my adult life, I was faced with the challenge of choosing a health insurance plan when I started my own business. Various frustrations with Covered CA led me to leave the system and purchase health insurance directly from a provider. Unfortunately, I made a pretty bad decision and regret it. So, I’m heading back to Covered CA to start over. Again. I’m not here to advocate for Covered CA per se, but I’ve decided to go this route because Contemporary Art League—a trade organization I co-founded with Debra Scacco in 2020—just launched a new service called Help with Health Insurance. And I need help! Help with Health Insurance provides free, confidential Covered CA navigation services to art workers in Los Angeles County. I’m excited to be paired with a Covered CA expert who will help me navigate the Covered CA system now and over time to assure that I’m getting the best, most affordable health insurance for my needs.
Covered CA can be confusing and frustrating for those of us who are self-employed, have hybrid incomes, or who have unpredictable, fluctuating incomes. These conditions can cause our levels of eligibility to change from month to month and year to year, making it difficult to budget for health insurance premiums and copays, let alone plan for what all of us dread: a serious accident or illness. Covered CA is far from perfect, but until we get single payer health insurance in this country, it’s what we’ve got. Open enrollment on the Covered CA exchange starts November 1, so I hope the resources listed below will encourage you to work with a navigator to get the coverage that is right for you at the rate you can afford, or to improve your current coverage.
Contemporary Art League is hosting Community Conversations about Help with Health Insurance at least twice before open enrollment begins, so read on to learn more and join us!
Ideas & Resources
for Art Workers
In the run-up to open enrollment for health insurance on November 1, I’m focusing on health insurance coverage for this month’s selections from the Ideas & Resources Doc. Let’s start with Covered CA. Covered CA is the state of California’s response to the Affordable Care Act. Most of the rest of the country uses Healthcare.gov, but here in CA, we go our own way. No one is required to use the healthcare exchange to purchase their health insurance; you can purchase your health insurance directly from health insurance companies, where you will pay the market price no matter what your household income is. If you purchase health insurance through Covered CA, you will be asked for your household income to determine if you are eligible for subsidies provided through the Affordable Healthcare Act and if so, how much. Covered CA is where you can also determine if you are eligible for MediCal. Though they are two different agencies, Covered CA and MediCal use the same application to determine eligibility. Whether you are eligible for MediCal, another subsidy rate available through Covered CA, or no subsidy at all, you may purchase your health insurance via Covered CA. You will be asked to reconfirm your household income annually, and your rate of subsidy may be adjusted accordingly. You will also be instructed to update the system if you have major changes in life circumstances and household income. This can be a daunting request for those of us with precarious and fluctuating incomes, as many people in our field do. That’s why I’m very excited about Help with Health Insurance, which is my second highlight from the Ideas & Resources Doc. Offered by Contemporary Art League in partnership with the Entertainment Community Fund, Help with Health Insurance is a free, confidential service that assists art workers with expert advice on navigating Covered California to ensure you are selecting the best health insurance plan for your needs and budget. Covered CA navigators work exclusively with the arts and entertainment industry and can advise on the administrative process to ensure Covered CA eligibility and benefits remain up to date over time. To learn more and sign up for Help with Health Insurance, join us for a Community Conversation next month!
Register for October 15 at 10am
One last note: To learn about the history of health insurance in America, I recommend “The Everlasting Problem,” an episode of NPR’s Throughline that outlines how our healthcare system developed.
