Health Insurance Survey: The Results

Online Survey Results: Key Findings

August 27, 2002

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Between March 15 and July 15, 2002 approximately 2700 people filled out the survey. The answers below only include the respondents who defined themselves as musicians, which is about 2400 respondents. Below we will highlight some of the key findings of the survey.

Musician respondents and health insurance:

When compared with year 2000 US Census figures – which indicate that approximately 14 percent of the public does not have health insurance (5) – the number of uninsured musicians is very high – 44 percent. Even taken in its own limited context, having almost half of the musician respondents indicate that they do not have health insurance means that this is an important issue to tackle.

Of the population of respondents that indicated they do not have insurance, 63 percent of them also said they spent more than half of their time as a musician.

Of the population of respondents that indicated that they do have insurance, 58 percent also noted they spend less than half their time as a musician. In other words, the more time the respondents spend working as musicians, the less likely there are to have insurance.

Of the respondents that DO have health insurance:

Who Pays for Your Health Insurance?
	Count	Percent
Employer	509	37%
Self/private insurance plan	342	25%
Parents	203	15%
Spouse	136	10%
Union	44	3%
School	43	3%
Government	41	3%
Other	37	3%
Military	9	1%
NA	4	0%
		100%

According to 2000 US Census statistics, approximately 64 percent of the public is insured by their employers, 8 percent of the public is self-insured, 23 percent is insured via the government (Medicare/Medicaid), and 3 percent is insured via the military.(6)

Respondents to our survey that do have health insurance seem to indicate that they are relying less on employer-based plans (37%) and more on securing plans on their own (25%). Note that, according to our demographic questions, 99 percent our survey respondents were under the age of 64, so we’re missing a whole segment of the population that would count on the Medicare programs available to seniors that are captured in the US Census data.

Monthly Cost
	Count	Percent
$0	171	13%
$1-$50	240	18%
$51-$100	229	17%
$101-$150	155	11%
$151-$200	107	8%
$201-$250	84	6%
$251-$300	59	4%
$301-$350	39	3%
$351-$400	38	3%
More than $400	75	5%
Don't Know	156	11%
NA	15	1%
		100%

Of the folks that do have health insurance, 67 percent pay between $0 and $200 per month for that coverage.

Decision factors in choice of plan
	Count	Percent
Cost of plan	388	28%
Coverage of plan	347	25%
No choice/plan chosen for me	275	20%
Only plan I could get	188	14%
Don't know	53	4%
Other	42	3%
Ease in working with insurance company	40	3%
Size of network	20	1%
NA	15	1%
		100%

Of the folks that do have health insurance, there’s a relatively even split about what factors went into their decision about what plan they chose among the cost of the plan, plan coverage, and just having no choice.

Of the respondents who DON’T have health insurance, this is why:

Reason No Insurance
	Count	Percent
Can't afford it	819	76%
Other	65	6%
Don't know where to apply	39	4%
Don't Know	35	3%
Too confusing to apply	27	3%
Pre-existing condition	27	3%
Not interested	26	2%
Waste of money	21	2%
NA	16	1%
		100%

Clearly the overwhelming factor in musicians’ decisions about health insurance is related to the cost of the plans. It’s interesting to note that the remainder of responses nestle around the issues of not knowing where to apply, or being confused about how to apply.

Statistics about plan options and record label deals,
answered by musicians who do and do not have health insurance:

It’s evident that a significant majority of musician respondents are under-informed about the existence of health care plans offered by the unions and other organizations…

Join PRO/Union for Health Plan?
	Count	Percent
Yes	1239	51%
Don't know	937	38%
No	251	10%
NA	16	1%
		100%

…but a slight majority of musician respondents would consider joining a union or organization if health insurance was made available.

Do You Have a Deal with a Record Label?
	Count	Percent
No contract or relationship	815	33%
Release on my own label	646	26%
Yes, with indie label	430	18%
No releases yet	262	11%
Not applicable	128	5%
Studio musician/songwriter/work on contract	127	5%
Yes, with major label	35	1%
		100%

We also asked whether the survey respondents had a deal with a record label. Anecdotal evidence suggests that these record deal relationships have a very low correlation with the likelihood of health insurance coverage. The vast majority of labels do not offer their bands and artists access to a specific health insurance plan, though we’ve heard that some recent major label contracts have included a stipend for the band members to seek out an individual health insurance plan.

Basic Demographic Information about our Survey Respondents

Generally the musicians who responded to our online survey were under 40 (78%), male (75%), single (63%), had no children (81%), and made less than $60,000 annually (76%). In a perfect world we would want a broader representation of the population represented in our survey, but there is a hidden benefit to these demographics. Health insurance plans factor in age, gender, and state of residence when generating quotes. The subsection of the population that’s most likely to get the lowest rates is young males – especially males under 25. Therefore the responses supplied in this survey can assist us in providing health insurance brokers and plans with some baseline numbers about a population that is currently under- or uninsured and interested in obtaining affordable health insurance coverage.

Summary of Survey Findings

It’s evident from the survey findings that a significant portion of the musician population is uninsured. This matches our initial assumptions about health insurance and musicians, based on our own personal experiences and time spent working in the music community. Second, it comes as no surprise that the most prominent factor in musicians’ decisions about health insurance is the cost of the plan and, for those who are uninsured, that not being able to afford the coverage is the overwhelming factor in that choice. Third, this survey provides us with evidence that musicians are, for the most part, uninformed about health insurance options offered by musician-related organizations and unions, but that a slight majority would consider joining a group if affordable health insurance were available.

Next Steps

We understand that this survey is just the first step. The Future of Music Coalition will use this survey data to move on to the next phases of this initiative:

1. a professional comparison and critique of the existing health insurance plans that are targeted specifically at artists and musicians
   
   
2. a psychological and physical assessment of the unique healthcare issues faced by working musicians
   
   
3. exploration of several other health insurance models that might better address the unique needs of working musicians, and recommendations for further action.

We believe this research will provide, at minimum, a necessary benchmark for artists, healthcare professionals and the policy community regarding the healthcare issues encountered by musicians. Furthermore, the FMC expects that this initiative will also serve as a catalyst in the musician community, inspiring debate about this fundamental issue and engaging stakeholders to create effective and affordable health insurance solutions for musicians.

If you would like to be alerted about the status of this ongoing project, please sign up for the monthly FMC newsletter by sending an email to subscribe@futureofmusic.org.

Notes

5. "Health Insurance Coverage, 2000" US Census http://www.census.gov/hhes/hlthins/hlthin00/hi00ta.html

6. " Type of Health Insurance and Coverage Status, All People: 1999 and 2000" US Census http://www.census.gov/hhes/hlthins/hlthin00/dtable1.html

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