Transcript for the Piece Audio version of Artists Get a Piece of Mass Health Reform

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STARVING ARTISTS DON'T JUST GO WITHOUT FOOD. THEY OFTEN GO WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE. THAT DRIVES SOME INTO SERIOUS MEDICAL DEBT, AND OTHERS OUT OF THE ARTS. BUT IN MASSACHUSETTS, MANY ARTISTS ARE AMONG THE LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS NOW GETTING HEALTH INSURANCE FROM THE STATE. KAREN BROWN -- WHO IS ON A KAISER FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIP TO STUDY HEALTH REFORM -- HAS THIS REPORT.

ARTIST XYLOR (zylor) JANE LIVES AND WORKS IN A LOW-RENT WAREHOUSE IN HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS. SHE'S FINISHING UP PAINTINGS FOR AN UPCOMING SHOW ABOUT NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES. EACH CANVAS IS FILLED WITH ROWS OF MULTI-COLORED METALLIC NUMBERS.
it represents a substantial amount of time of someone's life. that painting is called the ice bridge.

JANE EARNS HER LIVING SELLING HER WORK. SHE SAYS SHE MAKES BETWEEN 10 AND 15-THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR -- JUST ENOUGH TO PAY FOR RENT AND FOOD. FOR YEARS, SHE GOT HER URGENT HEALTHCARE FROM FREE CLINICS. WHEN SHE MOVED TO MASSACHUSETTS LAST YEAR, SHE QUALIFIED FOR THE STATE'S SUBSIDIZED HEALTH COVERAGE. FIRST THING SHE DID WAS GET A LONG-NEEDED EYE EXAM. AFTER THAT, SHE DEVELOPED PAINFUL FIBROIDS IN HER UTERUS AND HAD TO GET A HISTORECTOMY.
so far i've only paid out like 5 dollars total. for everything, for the medications that i've received & a hysterectomy, & a pair of glasses, has cost me five dollars. 0:15:54.5... so that's pretty amazing.

JANE IS PART OF A NEW DEMOGRAPHIC BENEFITTING FROM MASSACHUSETTS LANDMARK HEALTH REFORM LAW, PASSED IN 2006. IT REQUIRED ALL RESIDENTS HAVE HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE, AND IT ALSO EXPANDED STATE ASSISTANCE. LIKE MOST STATES, MASSACHUSETTS HAS ALWAYS PROVIDED HEALTH CARE TO POOR CHILDREN, SINGLE PARENTS, AND THE DISABLED -- THROUGH MEDICAID. NOW, MANY MORE PEOPLE ARE ELIGIBLE FOR A HIGHLY SUBSIDIZED STATE PLAN, CALLED COMMONWEALTH CARE. IT COVERS PEOPLE EARNING THREE TIMES THE FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL, UP TO 31,000 DOLLARS IN GROSS ANNUAL INCOME. IN OTHER WORDS -- A LARGE NUMBER OF ARTISTS, WRITERS, AND PERFORMERS. [AGAIN, XYLOR JANE.]
XJ: right now i feel really grateful to have it. b/c i just had a lot of work done that i think would have been a lot more difficult to get through w/o knowing that it was paid for.
KATHY BITETTI SAYS THE BENEFITS OF THE LAW GO BEYOND PEACE OF MIND. SHE'S A VISUAL ARTIST IN BOSTON WHO RUNS AN ADVOCACY GROUP CALLED THE ARTISTS FOUNDATION. SHE CONSIDERS HEALTH INSURANCE FOR ARTISTS A DIRECT INVESTMENT IN THE CREATIVE ECONOMY.
if you look at europe, we're at a competitive disadvantage, 0:05:18.9 b/c in europe people don't have to worry about where they get their health care from. ... so people aren't tied to jobs to keep their health care.
...UNLIKE MANY U.S ARTISTS. BITETTI SAYS ONE DANCE COMPANY IN BOSTON HAD TO FOLD BECAUSE THE DANCERS COULDN'T GET ENOUGH TIME OFF FROM THEIR OTHER JOBS TO GO ON TOUR. ONE NATIONAL ARTS FOUNDATION DID A SURVEY OF ITS GRANTEES AND FOUND THAT A QUARTER OF THEM USED THEIR GRANT MONEY TO PAY FOR HEALTH CARE.
HARVARD PROFESSOR NANCY TURNBULL SITS ON THE STATE BOARD THAT OVERSEES HEALTH REFORM. SHE'S DELIGHTED THE STATE CAN NOW HELP LIFT THAT BURDEN. SHE BELIEVES EVERYONE DESERVES ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE, EVEN THOSE WHO FOLLOW A LOW-WAGE PATH BY PERSONAL CHOICE. THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT DEPARTURE FROM THE WAY MEDICAID HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN ALLOCATED.
If you're an artist or writer who isn't pregnant, doesn't have kids, you're not disabled...but if you're just a single man, you're not deserving. but now you are, under commonwealth care, and that's a tremendous advance to me.
THERE ARE STILL ARTISTS NOT GETTING COMMONWEALTH CARE, INCLUDING MANY WHO MAKE JUST ABOVE THE INCOME CUT-OFF. LEGALLY, MOST OF THEM HAVE TO BUY COSTLY PRIVATE INSURANCE.... OR FACE A TAX PENALTY. ARTIST-ADVOCATE KATHY BITTETTI IS LOBBYING THE STATE TO LET ALL SELF-EMPLOYED WORKERS -- ARTISTS AND OTHERS -- DEDUCT THEIR EXPENSES WHEN APPLYING FOR STATE HEALTHCARE. THAT WOULD BRING MANY MORE INTO THE PROGRAM. BUT IN THIS ECONOMY, IT'S UNLIKELY MASSACHUSETTS CAN AFFORD TO BE ANY MORE GENEROUS THAN IT ALREADY IS. I'M KAREN BROWN.