Do Artists Have Health Insurance?

Chappell Roan did not come to play at her first Grammys. In addition to her head-turning outfit, iconic performance of “Pink Pony Club,” and staunch commitment to advocating for (and celebrating) transgender rights, the pop star capitalized on her win to call out record labels for not providing health insurance.

After thanking her support system, the 26-year-old singer accepted her award for best new artist and took a moment to criticize the industry: “I told myself that if I ever won a Grammy and got to stand up here before the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels in the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a livable wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists.”

Excuse me for being naive, but I assumed healthcare was a given once you signed with a label. Isn't that the perk of an employer-employee relationship? According to Roan, it's not even in the contract.

So what exactly is your favorite artist's favorite artist doing for healthcare? Here's what you need to know.

Experts Featured in This Article:

Samantha Taylor is a business and insurance expert at LLC.org.

Ethan Pickner is a health insurance broker and founder of AZ Health Insurance Brokers.

Do Artists Have Health Insurance?

It's not a given. In general, labels do not provide health insurance, especially not for new or lesser-known musical artists.

“Most artists and singers don't have a full-time job with medical coverage, so they have to make it work from them in an ad hoc kind of way,” says business and insurance expert Samantha Taylor. A lot comes down to individual circumstance and income, though most artists enroll in government programs or out-of-pocket private insurance, she says. However, this doesn't come without a hefty price tag, since private insurance can range between $200 to $500 a month, depending on the person's medical history and primary residence.

“Access to medical care for artists is a real issue,” Taylor says. An artist's income can swing drastically and unpredictably from year to year or month to month, and a lack of sufficient, consistent healthcare coverage can put their physical well-being and career at serious risk, she explains.

What's more, artists get stuck in a vicious cycle. Think about it like this: If an uninsured artist gets sick or injured, they wind up with exorbitant medical bills, but if they don't go to a doctor because they can't afford it, this may stop them from working entirely. In other words, it's usually a lose-lose situation.

Roan explained that after getting dropped by Atlantic Records in 2020, she couldn't afford insurance. “It was devastating to feel so committed to my art and feel so betrayed by the system and dehumanized,” she said. “Record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a livable wage and health insurance and protection.”

What's Being Done About Healthcare For Artists?

Fortunately, some politicians agree this treatment is unacceptable. Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Jamaal Bowman recently introduced a new bill that aims to overhaul the streaming royalty payment system in an attempt to help musicians build more sustainable, lucrative careers. Officially known as the Living Wage for Musicians Act, this legislation would essentially bypass existing contracts and go directly from platforms to artists to pay them a living wage from streaming. In a March 2024 press release, congresswoman Tlaib said, “It's only right that the people who create the music we love get their fair share, so that they can thrive, not just survive.”

And though the bill wouldn't directly provide health insurance to artists, the idea is that if musicians make a sustainable wage for their work, they could then, theoretically, afford private health insurance, says Ethan Pickner, a health insurance broker and founder of AZ Health Insurance Brokers. “A very small percentage of musicians make enough income to purchase insurance without subsidies, but the Living Wage for Musicians Act is a great way to put more money in artists' pockets so they're able to shop for health insurance that is most applicable to their current situation,” he says.

Other organizations like the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) are trying to do their part too by allowing members access to group health insurance for $99 a year. From there, participating artists can purchase additional add-ons like dental and vision coverage, as well as personal item protection like home and pet insurance.

The TLDR: When it comes to healthcare, some artists really are just like us. The only difference is, they have a platform to enact change. Shoutout to the Midwest Princess for always using her celebrity to do just that.

Andi Breitowich is a Chicago-based freelance writer and graduate from Emory University and Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her work has appeared in PS, Women's Health, Cosmopolitan, and elsewhere.