Reflections and Research on AEP Healthcare

A primary aim of CRNY’s Artist Employment Program was to provide artists with W2 employment so they could have access to basic worker protections and employer-sponsored benefits. CRNY provided 28% ($18,200 per year) to employers on top of the $65,000 for artists’ salaries to help offset employer contributions to payroll taxes (social security, Medicare, unemployment insurance, federal unemployment tax, etc.), fringe benefits (health insurance, retirement contributions, paid time off), and workers’ compensation. This decision was based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ average of 24% for private industry and civilian workers. Different employing organizations allocate these funds in different ways according to their own HR policies, practices, and health insurance plans. 

As such, there was tremendous variability in the quality and cost of health insurance that AEP artists received. Some artists had wholly positive healthcare experiences during their time as AEP participants. Several said that they were able to have medical procedures that they had delayed because of time and financial concerns, and at least two program artists credit their employer-sponsored health insurance for the fact that they are alive today. That said, other artists had negative experiences with their employer-sponsored healthcare and were unable to access critical care services that they previously relied upon and/or were burdened with significant and unexpected out-of-pocket costs. Some found that having a $65,000 salary meant that they ended up with employer-sponsored healthcare that was not as robust or affordable as the public health insurance they received when their income was lower. Finally, the nature of W2 employment itself—being ‘beholden’ to an employer—negatively impacted some artists who needed more freedom and flexibility to balance their work and overall wellbeing. 

Several recent research efforts specifically examined AEP artists’ experiences with employer-sponsored health insurance—and how being part of AEP impacted their health overall:

• Urban Institute’s Empowering Artists through Employment
• Rockefeller Institute’s The Impact of Stable Employment in the Arts
• Kevin Gotkin’s Deaf and Disabled Artist Employment
• Hyp+Access’s Disability, Healthcare, and Employment 

While we are proud that healthcare access and wellbeing improved for many AEP artists, we nonetheless lament that some artists had healthcare needs that went unmet and that they faced out-of-pocket costs that were unexpectedly high. We hope that these reports can inform future work and approaches to employer-sponsored health insurance for artists and for all workers.