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("Are you joking?") by Ann Margaret Shy
 The
Musicians
Health Care
Initiative is a
creative experiment in a creative community. Here's some general
background: It's the early 1990's. The Clintons disclose
their health reform strategy to the American public on
the tails of the Reagan-Bush years. The Clintons are so
focused on the content of their strategy that they botch
the delivery and alienate each self-serving individual in
the country. "Okay", they concede, "have it your way," and
instead unleash the health care industry into the
marketplace where consumers will supposedly regulate cost and
quality by forcing health care payers and providers into
competition. But alas health care services are not exactly like
commodities and the expected equilibrium is never quite achieved.
Rather, unregulated managed care organizations set out
seducing large employers with cheap (in both senses of the word)
products and strong-arming physicians into assuming all
the risk by only reimbursing brief treatment and expecting the docs
to end treatment or continue without pay. But clinical
protocol and reasonable rates are beyond the scope of this article;
the fate of the consumer, however, is not. The careful
reader will have noticed that managed care was selling to
employers. Which brings us to one of the many self-employed
uninsured segments of our population: musicians.
Without an employer, one doesn't even have access to group rates and must bear the burden of much more costly individual rates. Incidentally, these rates vary greatly due to the law of large numbers that insurance companies rely on when estimating costs their customer base will incur. For example, if five people each put $150 a month in a collective fund and then two of them have major heart attacks, they won't have enough money to cover the cost. If ten thousand people put $150 a month in a collective fund, it is unlikely that a 2:5 ratio of major heart attacks will occur and there should be sufficient funds for the ones that do occur. It makes sense but creates a financial barrier to coverage for individuals. Now, beyond this financial barrier, many musicians (and others) don't aspire to having insurance due to mistrust of the industry. Insurance sells itself to those who are averse to risk. Musicians, by nature, are less risk averse which is what enables them to pursue this economically and emotionally risky profession. Without risk aversion, they're therefore less likely to consider expensive monthly premiums as a top priority in their personal expenditures. This same lack of aversion leads some to jeopardize their physical and mental well being through risk-taking behavior, the results of which range from STDs to substance abuse. Further, mistrust towards the mainstream marketplace works to cut people in the margins off from corporate health care. Thus, musicians (potential patients) sometimes feel the scientists (doctors) do not speak the same language as them, and therefore they have nothing to talk about. A clinical encounter can feel more like going to confession than purchasing beneficial biological information and advice. Out of this backdrop emerges Musicians Health Care Initiative, a mostly musician-created and operated organization, formed to educate, inform, promote and encourage the health and wellness of the music community and increase its access to health services. MHCI is not an outsider with an inappropriate agenda. Rather, it has sprung from a community that has already proved to possess fund-raising organization to help its community members in need. MHCI is the next organizational step to promote wellness and prevent illness, as well as locate resources to identify and treat existing conditions before they become irreversible. This self-possession lends itself to the Initiative's health education and promotion activities actually being accepted by its members. Individuals' exchanges with their social and physical environment have an important effect on health status.
So far, we've gone through the non-profit application process, established a Board, raised some funds, provided some basic services like flu shots, anemia screenings, massage work and begun connecting people with an affordable bare-bones insurance policy which covers primary care visits for prevention and treatment for a small co-pay and catastrophic coverage with a large deductible for inpatient hospital care. We're building alliances with Musicians Assistance Program (MAP), a national organization that places musicians in substance abuse treatment facilities and helps them stay clean after treatment. Planned Parenthood has designed a service for us that discounts STD screenings for couples. We're working with a physician at UNC on a smoking cessation program for members who want to quit. We're negotiating with an AIDS resource organization for discounted home test kits, with the Peoples Pharmacy for their consumer guidebook on pharmaceuticals and even with cab companies for vouchers to reduce drinking and driving. We're putting free condoms and earplugs on the bars in the local clubs. We're planning a self-defense course for women. As our membership grows, we will build on the needs of our members, whether it's eye exams or New Parent support groups. Membership, by the way, does not involve dues. It involves being in our data bank so we can efficiently tell you about programs and get your input. If you want to know more, check out the attached Frequently Asked Questions at the end of this article. |
Now, answer the following T or F questions,
then check your answers. Then check your calcium intake.
1. One in four women over the age of 60
will develop osteoporosis.
TRUE: 1,2,4,5,8,9,12,14,15,17,18,21,22
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Frequently Asked
Questions
WHO CAN JOIN? DO I HAVE TO BE A MUSICIAN? Members of the music community can join. This includes musicians (no less than 30% of the membership), engineers, producers, distributors, club-owners, support staff, labels, retailers, DJs, and supportive listeners. HOW DO I APPLY FOR BENEFITS? Contact us and we will tell you what we've found and walk you through the process of purchasing coverage. Email us at mebane@mindspring.com or leave your message for Ann Shy at (919) 563-5868 and she'll call you back. WHAT KIND OF INSURANCE SHOULD I GET? We believe catastrophic coverage makes sense since technology has increased the cost of care beyond most individuals ability to pay. You don't have to be hit by a truck anymore just to generate a big hospital bill. A single broken leg can cost thousands of dollars in the emergency room. We also strongly believe in preventive care in order to avoid many catastrophic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, lung cancer, high blood pressure and HIV to name a few largely preventable diseases. Prevention comes from education and contact with health care providers who screen for early detection of illness through annual physicals, pap smears, breast exams and dental cleanings to name a few. WHAT ABOUT DOCTORS? If you decide on traditional insurance coverage, your insurance plan may determine which providers you see for the lowest cost. MHCI will also build its own network of area providers who are interested in what we're doing and interested in this population (for example, hearing problems, carpal tunnel syndrome, hand injury, diet and exercise). Our network will develop from an understanding of what services our members feel are important, and what providers are interested in working with our referrals and reimbursement rates. WHAT IF I AM ALREADY SICK? Our main objective is to connect people with care, not avoid people who need it. Serious pre-existing conditions require that you and an MHCI patient advocate identify what services you need, assess the health care environment to obtain those services and strategize for funding. The main difference between our vision and the standard health care scenario is that most Americans only have their insurance plan to back them when they are in need, but their insurance plans main objective is to turn a profit from premiums, not pay out for services. Our purpose is to harness the community spirit that exists here which has proven that pooled resources add up to much more than what individuals possess separately. In other words, 1+1=3. HOW CAN I HELP? Don't let us ignore you! Make sure we have your name and contact information. Identify who you are: someone interested in membership, in fund-raising or perhaps a student of public health, medicine or nursing. We need volunteers for both one-time-only tasks and for various committees. We want our funds to go into delivery of services by keeping administrative costs to a minimum through strong volunteerism. WHO DO I MAKE THAT CHECK OUT TO? Our tax-exempt status, which will allow your donations to be tax-deductible, is in the mail and could be weeks before our status is finalized. Non-tax-deductible donations are, of course, welcome to: 9317 Dodsons Crossroad Chapel Hill, NC 27516 Start thinking about other ways you can contribute to fund-raising events, or share grant information with us. Perhaps you have CDs or artwork for us to auction. The possibilities are vast. |
Osteoporosis is a condition of
bone structure
degeneration from decreased bone mass.