Health Insurance HQ: An Update on the Health Care Landscape | Entertainment Community Fund

Health Insurance HQ: An Update on the Health Care Landscape

Welcome to Health Insurance HQ—coming to you from the experts at The Actors Fund's Artists Health Insurance Resource Center and special guests!

Dear Friends,

It’s been a busy Open Enrollment season for the Health Services team in LA and New York City. The New York Marketplace has seen a record level of enrollment this year—in fact, in one day alone, 19,000 New Yorkers enrolled, bringing the total covered under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to over 4.7 million people. And in California, enrollment is essentially stable, which is notable since there is no longer a penalty if you don’t have coverage. Both New York and California’s Marketplaces continue to stand strong, despite the continued threats to the Affordable Care Act.

And that’s where the recent ruling by Judge Reed, in Texas v. Azar, comes in. The news came the day before the end of Open Enrollment in many states, and it confused people. Didn’t the Supreme Court already rule that the Affordable Care Act could stand? Yes, in both 2012 and 2015, but… Judge Reed ruled that because the new tax law enacted in 2018 repealed the penalty for being uninsured, the entire Affordable Care Act could now be considered unconstitutional. The judge's decision also said that the other parts of the law, including protection for pre-existing conditions, subsidies for monthly premiums, and Medicaid expansion, could not continue without the mandate. This decision, if implemented, could take health care away from 17 to 20 million people and create chaos in the health care system. 

So what happens now? CA Attorney General Becerra, with support from a dozen other states, will challenge the ruling with an appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. “Today’s ruling is an assault on 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, on the 20 million Americans who rely on the ACA’s consumer protections for health care, on America’s faithful progress toward affordable health care for all Americans,” Mr. Becerra said in a statement. “The ACA has already survived more than 70 unsuccessful repeal attempts and withstood scrutiny in the Supreme Court.” Even the American Medical Association chimed in: “Today's decision is an unfortunate step backward for our health system that is contrary to overwhelming public sentiment to preserve pre-existing condition protections and other policies that have extended health insurance coverage to millions of Americans,” said Dr. Barbara L. McAneny, president of the American Medical Association. Eventually, the case will make its way to the Supreme Court. In the meantime, there are efforts by liberal and conservative groups requesting a stay that would keep the law in place until all the legal appeals are completed and there is a final decision.

What can you do? Create pressure to make sure that the current Administration keeps the ACA in effect until there is a final decision.  Here are the protections and benefits at stake:

  • Protections for 130 million people with pre-existing conditions
  • Medicaid expansion, which currently covers 15 million people
  • Improvements to Medicare, including reduced costs for prescription drugs
  • The ban on annual and lifetime coverage limits
  • The prohibition on insurance discrimination against women and people over age 50
  • Marketplace tax credits for up to 9 million people
  • Limits on out-of-pocket medical expenses

Contact your federal and state representatives, and let them know you want to keep these protections and benefits. You can find out who they are here. If your state representatives are proposing bills that would enact ACA protections in your state, support that! If your state has strong regulations, what the federal government does won’t affect you as much.

Voters made clear in the last election that they want to protect, improve and expand health care programs like the ACA, Medicaid and Medicare (not put health care at risk, raise medical costs and damage the economy). We have too much on the line to lose the ACA now because of a partisan legal decision and an administration that is determined to put politics ahead of our health care. 

Yours in good health,


Renata Marinaro
National Director of Health Services
The Actors Fund

Do you work in performing arts and entertainment and have questions about health insurance? The Actors Fund provides assistance nationally. Contact our regional office closest to you to speak to a counselor.

New York City
917.281.5975

Los Angeles
855.491.3357

Don’t forget to use the resources section of our website. It contains tools to help you make decisions about your health insurance, including new online tutorials on how to choose providers and how to read an Explanation of Benefits. In addition, you’ll find an updated Stage Managers National Health Directory, our national online directory of health care providers recommended by industry professionals that can be used by theaters and touring companies. For these resources and more, visit actorsfund.org/HealthServices. You can also find out more about enrollment assistance and upcoming health insurance seminars near you!