Connecting Artists to Health Care

LINC’s health insurance and health care information resources are designed with individual artists in mind:

• To give artists and arts organizations the information they need about existing programs and modes of support to access affordable health care; and
• To empower artists and organizations by providing tools and information needed to engage and affect change on health care policy-related issues.

With these goals in mind, LINC has partnered with the Actors Fund, a national organization with a record of successfully delivering well-researched information to artists in communities throughout the U.S.

The Actors Fund and LINC

The Artists Health Insurance Resource Center (AHIRC)

The Artists Health Insurance Resource Center (AHIRC) is a program of the Actors Fund (actorsfund.org) that makes it easy for artists to get their health insurance questions answered.  The AHIRC website (ahirc.org) is a carefully researched, updated database that quickly links artists to the information and services they need. AHIRC and ahirc.org help artists understand their rights; list organizations that offer plans to self-employed persons; direct artists to government-subsidized programs in their own state; and tell artists where to find affordable health care in their area.

In addition to supporting and promoting the value of ahirc.org, LINC funds three core activities of AHIRC that allow organizations to place valuable information within easy reach of their constituents.

Local Affordable Health Care Guides for Artists

The Actors Fund works in partnership with local organizations to develop printed guides on finding affordable health care.  The guides summarize important facts for artists and provide lists of local resources including select 24-hour pharmacies, health care clinics, and hospital listings. 

If you are interested in offering a guide in your area, contact us for further information.

These guides are now available in the following communities:  Cleveland, OH; Florida State; Kansas City, MO; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, CA; New Orleans, LA; New York, NY; Orange County, CA; Philadelphia, PA; San Francisco Bay Area, CA; San Jose, CA; Seattle, WA; and Washington State.  To download PDF versions of these guides, click on Resources.

Local Health Insurance/Health Care Workshops for Artists

Connect artists in your community with AHIRC live! The Actors Fund offers workshops, presented by trained AHIRC staff in local communities around the U.S. These workshops are a fantastic way to offer information about finding and obtaining quality health insurance and health care. Q&A sessions in these workshops are terrific ways to place the vast AHIRC information resources in a local context that makes understanding options much easier for your constituents

Training Seminars

Build your local capacity to offer Local Health Insurance/Healthcare Workshops for Artists on an ongoing basis. AHIRC specialists will work with your staff and partnering organizations to hone the skills to deliver similar workshops in your community. In addition to live training, AHIRC will work with you to keep abreast of local changes in policy and programs, thus building the strength of the AHIRC community.

Additional Resources for Arts Organizations

Local Grants

LINC offers grants to arts organizations interested in getting involved or that are currently involved in health care/health insurance efforts for artists. This grant program offers financial support in addition to connecting organizations and their projects around the country in the LINC network. To request guidelines and more information, please contact: Risë Wilson, Program Manager.

News and Research

Additionally, LINC provides information about staying informed and engaged in potential changes to the U.S. health care and health insurance systems. LINC also supports research to help create a greater collective understanding of artists’ challenges in obtaining quality, affordable health care and insurance. You can find LINC-sponsored research in our Resources, or sign up for LINC’s quarterly newsletter to read the most up to date information about our health insurance initiative.