You currently do not have insurance...

If you currently do not have insurance, you are strongly urged to obtain it. Under the individual mandate you will have to proof of health insurance by Dec 31, 2007 and beyond or you may be penalized by the State's Department of Revenue your state taxes. For the 2008 tax year and beyond, those not in compliance with the individual mandate may be assessed a fine (half the cost of the lowest-cost yearly health care plan deemed available to them). The Department of Revenue (DOR) will be policing this part of the law. It is important to be aware that starting on January 1, 2009, individuals will have to have health insurance that is deemed affordable to them at their income level AND meets "Minimal Creditable Coverage" standards set by the Connector. Please note through the Connector there is a waiver/appeals process from the mandate, MCC requirements, and tax fines. You should also check to see if you are exempt from the individual mandate.

Community Partner's has a wonderful fact page for immigrants/non US citizens living in MA to find out what health care options they have.

If you are sick do not forgo care because you do not have insurance! Locate the Community Health Center or Hospital in you neighborhood and go to them for care.

TWO IMPORTANT WARNINGS

1) We strongly recommend that artists who have hard to determine income DO NOT enroll or sign up for any program/health insurance plan via the Connector's website or phone lines. Only use the Connector as a way to research your options. This is very important. It is best if you talk to a seasoned enrollment specialist from Health Care For All's Help Line or an enrollment councilor from a Community Health Center, a hospital, or a health care advocacy organization to see if you are first eligible for a subsidized health plan and if you find out that you are not eligible THEN use the Connector to enroll in a non subsidized health plan (i.e. Commonwealth Choice plans). UNTIL THE ISSUES THE AF HAS IDENTIFIED WITH THE CONNECTOR'S ENROLLMENT PROCESSES ARE CORRECTED, IT IS BEST TO FOLLOW THIS PATH.

2) NEW Private Insurance Rules- don't miss a payment or get dropped from your insurance plan if you are buying it 100% yourself!

IN 2010 the insurance companies convinced the state legislature that people in the private insurance makret were "gaming the system" and causing the insurance companies to lose money. So the state legislature changed the law governinng when and under what circumstances individuals can buy insurance in the private market place. No advocates were consulted on this change before it became law. This new law did not change the rules for those in subsidized care, or how businesses can buy insurance. The law only changed it for those individuals who earn over 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Line. (For the record the Artists Health Care Working and Healthcare for Artists.org were against how this change was put into place and testified against it).

There is now a strict open enrollment period and if individuals miss that period (or they get kicked off their plan) they will more than likely be locked out of buying insurance unless they have a "qualifying event". Note if your employer offers you insurance and it meets minimal credible coverage, you are not allowed to forgo your employer's insurance and buy insurance on the private market place- unless you have a qualifying event (so if you dont' like the insurance your employer is offering you is not sufficent to allow you to buy private insurance even if you can afford it). The Connector has Young Adult Plans (YAP) for those who are 18-26 years of age. The YAP plans can only be purchased through the Connector. Please make sure you read our buyer beware information on the YAP Plans in our Health Care Options Available section of our Guide for Artists. Note the same applies on the YAP plans as it does in the private insurance market place.

For more information and to find out what a "qualifying event is" see the Connector's PDF fact page. We also urge you to call Health Care for All's FREE Helpline for information and help: 1-800-272-4232. AND call your state representative and state senator and urge them to change this law!

Some other scenarios that might fit your situation...

Your employer(s) (or your spouse's/family's employer), due to the new law's requirements, may start to offer you health insurance and/or the option to participate in a Section 125 Cafeteria Plan. (Note the self-employed, due to federal law, can not participate in a Section 125 Cafeteria Plan) If you decline to purchase the health insurance offered and/or decline to participate in a Section 125 Cafeteria Plan, you will be required to sign a HIRD employee form that will be submitted to the Department of Revenue. This form has yet to be instated.

Depending on your income level and/or your health situation, you might be eligible for MassHealth Program. Even if you are not eligible for MassHealth or any other subsidized health plan, if you have children they may be eligible for the State Children Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP).

If your gross income** is at or below 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Level and you meet the other eligibility requirements, you may be eligible for Commonwealth Care.

**(300 percent of the FPL for an individual is approximately $32,676 (NOTE every April 1- the FPL amount will increase/be adjusted) and to find what 300 percent FPL for a family is, add an additional $11,460 for each additional dependent to amount for an individual (see the Insurance Partnership's web site for a better understanding of the FPL which is also referred to as income ceilings). However, annual gross income for those who are self-employed, seasonal workers, don't have regular pay stubs, and/or have combination income sources (W-2 income, 1099 income, etc.), is determined differently from those with just W-2 income wages with regular pay stubs. Those whose income is not solely from W-2 income sources with regular pay stubs, should contact an enrollment specialist in person to determine what their income is)

If you have any self-employment income and/or you pay out money to make your art, and your gross income after business expenses (Line 22 on your federal tax form) is under 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, you may be eligible for the Insurance Partnership. Remember if you enroll in the IP program you will not be eligible for Commonwealth Care - so we recommend that you first see if you are eligible for Commonwealth Care.

If your employer has 50 or less full time employees they may be eligible for the Insurance partnership and by extension you may be eligible for it as an uninsured employee. (The IP can help eligible small businesses, those with 50 or fewer full-time employees, with uninsured employees (full time and part-time!) pay for health insurance.)

If you are a college student and are not enrolled in one of the health plans offered by your school, you may want to enroll in one of them.

If you are under 26, you may now be able to purchase insurance through your parent(s) health plan due to the Dependent Coverage Extension Requirement, taking effect on Jan 1, 2007.

You may want to see if the Commonwealth Choice Plans (available to those who are age 18 and older) or if the Young Adult Plans (available for those who are 18-26 yrs. old-note it was 19-26) are choices for you. A buyer beware on the Young Adult plans. Like the student health insurance plans offered by colleges/universities to students, all of the YAP plans, with the exception of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Young Adult Plan, have an annual limit on benefits or benefit caps on the amount they will pay out per year for coverage (i.e. they may only cover a total of $50,000 worth of medical bills per year and after you hit that amount you are responsible for the bills). Make sure you know what you are buying and what the YAP covers and what its benefit cap is before you buy it.

You could join an association or membership group to that offers its members the ability to purchase insurance through a group rate. The Insurance Partnership has a list of organizations who offer their members access to health insurance.

You could decide to purchase your health insurance as an individual through a health insurance company.

If you are uninsured due to a job loss you maybe eligible for COBRA, Commonwealth Care and/or other types of subsidized health plans/ programs such as the Medical Securities Program (MPS) from the Division of Unemployment Assistance.

If as an employee you opt not to purchase insurance that is deemed reasonable and fair by the state through your employer when it is offered to you, you will be required to sign a HIRD employee form that will be submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. This form has yet to be instated.

You may attempt to try to get a waiver from the individual mandate and/or paying the premiums for Commonwealth Care.

You should call Health Care for All's Help Line to find out your available options.

SPECIAL NOTE: If your employer or one of your employers offers you insurance AFTER you have enrolled in Commonwealth Care and your employer offers to pay 33 percent or more of your individual plan or 20 percent or more of your family plan, you will be de-enrolled (effectively kicked off) from Commonwealth Care. This is going to be the case even if you can not afford the premium from the health insurance plan offered to you by your employer. BUT the Connector is reconsidering this provision. The Connector is possibly considering that the employer could pay the State the same amount they would be paying an insurance company and the Connector would allow the employee to stay on the Commonwealth Care program.

As soon as more information is available we will post it in this section and will announce it via this site's list serve.