Will Play for Root Canal
November 15, 2013 9:05 PM   Subscribe

The O+ Festival in San Francisco offers artists an opportunity to barter their services for dental and health treatment. "The O+ Festival in San Francisco this weekend would seem a typical indie arts event, with performances by local musicians and displays of funky art. But in a twist that highlights a longstanding problem in the creative economy, the artists involved will be paid not in cash but rather in something they may need just as badly: health care."

Artists in the United States face an interesting problem: health insurance. Should labels provide coverage? An example: Calvin Johnson, label owner of K Records, was covered under his label's policy during a 2003 car accident involving his band (signed to K records), but the other band members in the car had were not covered under that label insurance plan. To what extent are bands employees and labels employers? Many small labels barely break even, and health insurance is expensive. Should artists expect to work twice as hard, once at a job that provides coverage, and then again, at their art? Perhaps artists should plan to marry a partner with a stable job that provides coverage. If artists attempt to go the independent route, they may face higher premiums. Insurance companies view artists as an "at-risk" population, and rates are adjusted accordingly. Perhaps this is why 76% of uninsured musicians cited the reason of their lack of health insurance as it being too expensive. What if money didn't exchange hands? What if artists were able to pay to ensure their longevity directly through their work?
posted by semaphore (17 comments total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
God, America is so messed up. Why on earth do we tie health care to jobs? If only we'd passed a public option, this wouldn't be an issue. These mostly young artists could join the lowest risk pool and be treated like the normal people they are.

When I envision the America or the world I want to see in the future, I imagine a society in which anyone is free to create art regardless of their ability to make money off it-- where people's basic needs are met and they're free to do something that they actually like, at least some of the time.

Providing health care for people who are down and out, whom the right-wing would have everyone believe are moochers, abusers, and layabouts, is like step zero in this vision. Maybe in my lifetime we'll at least get to step 1.
posted by thewumpusisdead at 9:29 PM on November 15, 2013 [8 favorites]


I've been thinking about this a lot lately since Cheb i Sabbah passed away :(

I wish the O+ Festival would help artists enroll in Healthy San Francisco. If you know musicians without health insurance, please push them to enroll in Healthy San Francisco, or Covered CA, or something.
posted by rajbot at 9:34 PM on November 15, 2013 [1 favorite]


It's not just artists. I would be much more likely to start my own business selling my services if I had a public option to take insurance out of the equation. A major reason that I even consider seeking full-time employment is to get some basic healthcare coverage for myself and my partner in case something catastrophic were to happen. The right supposedly wants us all to start our own businesses, but the current healthcare system dissuades entrepreneurship for the sake of corporate profits.
posted by deathpanels at 9:37 PM on November 15, 2013 [9 favorites]


Or even just working for smaller startup companies that can't provide health insurance yet. I was working at a horrible job a couple years ago where I wasn't making any kind of great money nor learning anything that would really advance my career to make me more marketable to other firms that would hire me away and also provide health care. I was only able to get out because I got married and got insurance through my wife, and while I'm still not making great money I'm at least catching up with the standards in my profession.
posted by LionIndex at 9:44 PM on November 15, 2013 [1 favorite]


thewumpusisdead: "God, America is so messed up. Why on earth do we tie health care to jobs?"

World War 2. War labor Board essentially prohibited wages from rising, despite the huge war effort, and the labor siphon. A lot of things were price fixed, and others were rationed during the war. But employers still have to compete for labor, and perks like sick leave and health insurance were declared outside the consideration of the War Labor Board.

There's many other reasons it persists, like tax advantages, bargaining power, and the amount of money doctors stand to lose negotiating with a single payer.
posted by pwnguin at 9:52 PM on November 15, 2013 [1 favorite]


I would be much more likely to start my own business...

We'll have none o' that here, young man. If you weren't born to own your business, then we have no need of ye.
posted by spacewrench at 10:19 PM on November 15, 2013


If they don't make enough money, wouldn't govt subsidies kick in to make insurance more affordable..atleast once ACA comes into effect?
posted by asra at 10:35 PM on November 15, 2013


So appalling actually.
posted by wuwei at 10:55 PM on November 15, 2013


The festival estimates that about $100,000 worth of music, art and health services were exchanged at the most recent edition, in Kingston last month.

And if the doctors don't report all of that income, this hippie bartering is really just a republican way of cheating the tax man.
posted by three blind mice at 11:45 PM on November 15, 2013 [1 favorite]


Three blind mice: it actually might be a tax-write off, not liability...

Mr. Concra, 48, said the idea for the festival came to him when he wondered about his many uninsured musician friends: “If I cleaned their teeth, would they play?” Ticket sales help cover festival costs, and area health professionals donate their services to the pop-up clinic.

So it sounds like its not actually barter - more of a fundraiser that pays for the clinic infrastructure to be accessible.
posted by el io at 12:05 AM on November 16, 2013


Land of the free, except for healthcare.
I am all for trading and bartering though.
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
posted by manoffewwords at 12:32 AM on November 16, 2013


Insurance companies view artists as an "at-risk" population, and rates are adjusted accordingly.

Not anymore, they don't. Thanks to Obamacare.
posted by Justinian at 1:04 AM on November 16, 2013


Not anymore, they don't. Thanks to Obamacare.

Shhh. Or the republicans will "fix" that, too.

The festival seems like a nice idea but it still makes me angry that people have to go to these lengths to access even basic healthcare. As was said, it's a barrier to entrepreneurship and job creation, but good luck convincing anyone of that.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:15 AM on November 16, 2013 [1 favorite]


Oh well, I know many musicians and other artists. They either manage to marry someone with healthcare (which person is then even less free to change their own jobs) or do without until they die of something untreated or die of something that they can only afford partial treatment for, or survive but are devastated by medical bills that their other musician friends might do a totally inadequate fundraiser for. They are often poor enough to qualify for low-income medical care if there is any, or work a crappy dayjob that lets them live in slum housing. Or with their aging parents.

But fuck 'em, right? Should've become CEOs.

This thing makes me pretty angry, though it is well-intentioned, I guess. It's demeaning, just like it's demeaning to put up with an abusive boss or job because you or a loved one might actually die for lack of healthcare if you leave. Though for many people, even that terrible bargain isn't available.

If doctors want to donate their services, they should just fucking donate them, not make it into some kind of bullshit on-demand performance.
posted by emjaybee at 7:30 AM on November 16, 2013 [1 favorite]


emjaybee, exactly. It's "hey play for your supper you peasants."
posted by wuwei at 8:42 AM on November 16, 2013


If they don't make enough money, wouldn't govt subsidies kick in to make insurance more affordable..atleast once ACA comes into effect?


Well, playing around with Health Sherpa, it appears that it could be affordable.
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 10:29 AM on November 16, 2013


I would trade some of my portfolio pieces, unique artworks I swore I would never sell, for dental care.

I would trade some of my portfolio pieces to get dental care for one of my friends.

This makes me want to cry.
posted by charlie don't surf at 2:30 PM on November 16, 2013


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