Health Insurance for Musicians and Artists in Florida

Many jobs, no plan

Few creative careers come with a benefits office. Musicians are often paid per gig. Artists are paid when a piece sells, a commission lands or a show opens. Plenty of people also teach, wait tables or work a day job to cover the months in between. If one of those jobs offers a plan, look at it. If your spouse has a job with a plan, set it next to a plan of your own.

Venues pay when they pay

A gallery may sell your work and send the payment weeks later. Wedding season and tourist season can fill your calendar, and then it empties. The guide on the deductible and the out-of-pocket maximum (linked below) explains the terms. The musician's version of the question is how you would pay your share after a good gig and before the next one is booked. You can apply any time of year, so you can look after a good night or in the middle of a lean month.

Ears, hands, backs and fumes

Players carry heavy gear, and loud rooms are hard on hearing. Hands, wrists and shoulders wear from repetition, and singers and horn players depend on breath and voice. Painters, sculptors and ceramic artists may work around solvents, dust and fumes.

Ask which specialists are in the network, and ask what a plan covers or excludes for hearing, vision and dental care, since medical plans treat those differently. Tell your doctor what materials you use. Late gigs make daytime appointments hard, so ask about telehealth.

Your instrument is insured. Are you?

Many artists insure an instrument, a camera, a studio or a van. That kind of policy covers property, not your doctor visits. Protect the work and protect the person who makes it.

Reading the fine print on a PPO

A PPO (preferred provider organization) comes with a network of preferred doctors and hospitals. The plans we offer are private plans, not ACA Marketplace plans, and they have exclusions and limitations. An advisor explains the details.

Musicians and artists under 65 who are paid by the gig or by the sale often have no employer plan to join, and a private plan is one option to compare. Plans may not cover every benefit, so ask your advisor how a plan treats hearing and vision before you apply.

Taxes: a general note

Gig pay, lesson fees and art sales all land on your tax return, and instruments, supplies and studio costs have their own rules. The health plan question is separate: the IRS has a self-employed health insurance deduction, figured on Form 7206 and reported on Schedule 1 of Form 1040. This is general information, not tax advice, so talk with a tax professional about your situation.