Insurance Resources for Craftspeople

These listings have been compiled to provide practical information to craftspeople seeking to explore their options for insurance coverage. These listings do not include every insurance resource. Click on a link below to jump to a table or scroll down the page.

Guilds and Art Associations
General Insurance Information
State Insurance Departments
Guides and Pamphlets

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Guilds and Art Associations
ABG Business Associates, Ltd. Group plan administered by Aetna US Healthcare. Self-employed individuals and small businesses can join for a fee. Contact: 154 Commack Rd. Commack, NY 11725 (516) 499-6100	American Association of Museums Offers health insurance to independent curators, consultants, professional staff, volunteers and artists working for museums. Membership is open to anyone, but membership fees vary, from $35-$140 annually, depending on salary range and the nature of affiliation with museums. Contact: 1225 I St. N.W., Ste. 400 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 218-7673
American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Group health and Medicare supplement administered through United Health Care Insurance Company for its members. Requirements: anyone age 50 or older can become a member. Contact: 601 E St., N.W. Washington, DC 20049 (800) 523-5800 E-mail: membership@aarp.org Web site: www.aarp.org	Americans for the Arts (formerly American Council for the Arts) Contact: (212) 223-2787
American Society of Furniture Artists (ASOFA) Offers health insurance. The provider is Association & Society Insurance Corporation. Coverage includes health, major medical, life, dental options, prescription, vision benefits, craftsman protection, etc. You must be a member of ASOFA to be eligible. Available within the U.S. Contact: (713) 721-7600	Artist Talk on Art Contact: (212) 925-4419
Artists' Health Insurance Resource Center A project of the Actors' Fund of America. Selected by the NEA to create a health insurance resource center for the arts community nationwide, it helps artists gain access to information to help them obtain the most economical health insurance. The primary means of accessing the information is through the Web site. It is also available by phone, mail or by appointment. Contact: 729 Seventh Ave., 10th Floor New York, NY 10019 (800) 798-8447 Web site: www.actorsfund.org/actors/	Arts and Cultural Council of Greater Rochester Provides group health insurance to artist members who reside in the New York counties of Monroe, Livingston, Yates, Ontario, Seneca or Wayne. Membership is not limited to artists, but is open to only those living in these counties. Artists can choose from five plans offered by Finger Lakes Blue Cross Blue Shield: Blue Million, Blue Choice, Blue Choice Select, Comprehensive Plus, MSA Blue. Membership is $45, annually. Contact: 335 E. Main St., Ste. 200 Rochester, NY 14604 (716) 546-5602
Chicago Artists' Coalition (CAC) Offers health care insurance. The provider is Lenore Janecek and Associates. Coverage includes, PPO, HMO, Blue Cross/Blue Shield and major medical. You must be a member of CAC to be eligible. Insurance can be written in 14 states. Contact: 11 E. Hubbard St., 7th floor Chicago, IL 60611 (312) 214-3532 to speak to Lanore Janecek E-mail: ljanecek@aol.com Web site: www.caconline.org/home.html	College Art Association Group Insurance Plan Offers health care insurance to members, administered by Wohlers Insurance. Membership is $25 and up for students annually, according to salary. Membership is open to non-students at a higher rate. Contact: 275 Seventh Ave. New York, NY 10001 (212) 691-1051
Country Sampler Group (formerly the American Professional Crafters Guild) Offers its members a variety of services including health/life/dental/casualty insurance at group rates for individuals or to cover employees. Membership is open to all. Contact: Sampler Publications 707 Kautz Rd. St. Charles, IL 60174 (888) CRAFTER, or Karen Slocun, member services director, at: (630) 377-8000, ext. 250	Craft Alliance of New York State Access to group rates on health and dental insurance is available to all members. Contact: 501 W. Fayette St. Syracuse, NY 13204 (315) 472-4245 E-mail: esca@escacraft.com Web site: www.escacraft.com
Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington Provides health insurance to members in the Washington, D.C., area. Membership is $68, annually, and is open to anyone. HMOs, PPOs and point-of-service plans are offered through Kaiser, George Washington University and Optimum. Plans have no contingencies for pre-existing conditions, and cover dental, mental health and prescriptions. Rates vary based on the plan. Contact: 1436 U St. N.W., Ste. 103 Washington, DC 20009 (202) 638-2406	Empire State Crafts Alliance (ESCA) Offers health benefits for small businesses. The provider is Support Services Alliance. You must be a member of ESCA. If you live outside of the state of New York, coverage is still available, but limited. Contact: (315) 472-4245
Home-based Business Owners Association (HBOA) 2400 E. Commercial Boulevard, Suite 221 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308 Ph: (800) 362-6365 Fax: (954) 938-4070 marketing@hboa.com Web site: www.hboa.com	HBOA is an online resource community that assists small and home-based businesses save money through use of its online membership services. Services include: 4.9¢/minute long distance rates, free 800 numbers, free tax hotline, free legal hotline, free subscription to the HOMEBusiness Journal, discounted health benefits for savings on dental, prescriptions, chiropractic, vision and nutritional products, free Business Reference Library, free monthly Helping Hand newsletter, free use of HBOAoffice, online business software - email, file storage, contacts list, calendar, to-do-list, discussion, news and polling, plus many other discounts on business products and services. Membership in HBOA is less than $15.00 per month.
Maine Crafts Association Offers health and liability insurance. The provider is Anthem Health. You must be a member of the Maine Crafts Association to be eligible. Contact: (207) 348-9943	National Artists Equity Association Offers HMOs within a limited area. It also has coverage available through Mutual of Omaha. Contact: Box 28068 Central Station Washington, DC 20038-8068 (202) 628-9633
National Sculpture Society Contact: 1177 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10036 (212) 764-5645	New York Artist Equity Contact: 498 Broome St. New York, NY 10013 (212) 941-0130 E-mail: reginas@anny.org Web site: www.anny.org
New York Foundation for the Arts Offers health insurance. The provider is Health Insurance Plan of New York, through the Dance Theater Workshop. Insurance is available for members in New York and New Jersey. Contact: (212) 366-6900	Ohio Arts and Crafts Guild Offers business liability and property insurance for members in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Contact: (419) 884-9622
Organization of Independent Artists A nonprofit organization founded by artists which offer a group health insurance plan. Contact: 19 Hudson St. #402 New York, NY 10013 (212) 219-9213	The Pastel Society of America (212) 533-6931
Potters Council of The American Ceramic Society The Potters Council of The American Ceramic Society is dedicated to serving the needs of studio potters and ceramic artists. Benefits of membership include quarterly newsletter, online membership directory, 20 percent discount on The American Ceramic Society products and services, group vision/hearing/presecription drug/dental/chiropractic programs, group discounts on business and personal services. Box 6136 Westerville, OH 43086 Ph: (614) 794-5890 Fax: (614) 899-6109 E-mail: info@acers.org Web site: www.potterscouncil.org	Small Business Service Bureau Offers health, life, long-term disability, business overhead, automobile, homeowners, etc. Membership fees vary by state, $85 and up, annually. 554 Main St. Worcester, MA 01608 (800) 222-5678 Web site: www.sbsb.com
Society of American Silversmiths (SAS) Offers business insurance coverage that includes inventory, customer's goods, shows, gemstones, etc. You must be a member of SAS to be eligible. (401) 567-7800	Texas Fine Arts Association (TFAA) Offers health insurance to members nationwide. Membership is $25 annually. There are two health plans available which offer major medical, and a discount card for prescriptions. 3809-B W. 35th St. Austin, TX 78703 (512) 453-5312 E-mail: txfinearts@aol.com
Visual Artists Information Hotline Toll-free national information and referral service for individual visual artists. Administered by New York Foundation for the Arts. It is primarily a referral service that gives details to visual artists on a wide variety of programs and services at organizations that they can apply to directly. Direct staff assistance is available Monday through Friday, 2-5 p.m., or leave a voice mail any time. Information is sent by mail the same day in response to messages. (800) 232-2789	Womens Caucus for Art Membership is open to women and men artists, arts administrators, teachers, students, curators, etc. Offers major medical, short-term medical through Wohlers Insurance Company (800- 323-2106). National Office Moore College of Art 20th & the Parkway Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 634-0007

Guides and Pamphlets
Guide/Pamphlet Name:	Distributing Organization:
Checkup on Health Insurance Choices Questions To Ask Your Doctor Before You Have Surgery	Agency for Health Care Policy and Research Publications Clearinghouse Box 8547 Silver Spring, MD 20907 (800) 358-9295 This is a free publication.
The Consumer's Guide to Health Insurance	Health Insurance Association of America 555 13th St., N.W., 600 East Washington, DC 20004-1109 (202) 824-1600 This is a free publication.
Guide to Health Insurance for People with Medicare Your Medicare Handbook Managed Care Plans	Health Care Financing Administration 7500 Security Blvd. Baltimore, MD 21244-1850 This is a free publication.
Putting Patients First	National Health Council 1730 M St., NW, Ste. 500 Washington, DC 20036-4505 (202) 785-3910 This publication is $1.00 per copy; if ordering only one copy, it is free.
Managed Care: An AARP Guide	American Association of Retired Persons 611 E St., N.W. Washington, DC 20049 (202) 434-2277 This is a free publication.
Choosing Quality: Finding the Health Plan That's Right for You	National Committee for Quality Assurance 2000 L St., N.W., Ste. 500 Washington, DC 20036 (800) 839-6487 This is a free publication.
Consumer's Guide to Health Plans	Consumer's Checkbook Center for the Study of Services 733 15th St., N.W., Ste. 820 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 347-7283 This is a free publication.

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