DON’T MISS IT: OPEN ENROLLMENT FOR THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT (“OBAMACARE”) IN NY AND NJ RUNS FROM NOV. 1, 2026 to JAN. 31, 2027

Enroll by Dec. 15 for a Jan. 1 start date; enroll by Jan. 15 for a Feb. 1 start date; final deadline is Jan. 31

• To sign up in NY, go to: www.nystateofhealth.ny.gov or call 855-355-5777.
• In NJ, go to https://www.nj.gov/getcoverednj/ or call 833-677-1010
• If you want to schedule a one-on-one consultation with a health insurance specialist at the Entertainment Community Fund, log into your free portal account and fill out the appointment request form.

Do you need health insurance, but don’t have enough union health contributions to get on the Local 802 health plan? If so, the Entertainment Community Fund is here to help! We’d like to remind you that the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is still active and can be a great way to get insurance. But you have to act now.

If you are currently uninsured, or already enrolled in ACA coverage, the “open enrollment period” is the one time of year you can sign up for — or renew — your insurance through the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare or the Marketplace).

Open enrollment runs through January 31 in New York and New Jersey. 

Our team at Entertainment Community Fund are not brokers or agents. We offer unbiased, free and confidential one-on-one counseling to those working in the entertainment industry.

The Entertainment Community Fund Health Services team will:

• Help you understand your options
• Review changes in the law that may affect this year’s coverage
• Give you resources to find help in your State
• Tell you how to access health care if you’re uninsured
• Present strategies for estimating freelance income
• Guide you on how to select a health plan

To make an appointment, click this link. (The link will first take you to the login page to the Entertainment Community Fund portal, which is the gateway to all of our services. Log in or create a free account, then refresh this page for health insurance counseling.)

NYS COBRA Subsidy Program for Entertainment Professionals

If you recently had Local 802 coverage and then lost it, you may be eligible to continue it for a time at a discounted out-of-pocket price to you, if you qualify. This is called COBRA relief from the state of New York. There is 75% COBRA discount available for eligible entertainment professionals. If you lose your Local 802 coverage, you will automatically receive notification about the COBRA program from the Local 802 health benefits department (hbp@local802afm.org).

In the past couple of years, New York state has significantly improved and expanded the COBRA subsidy available to entertainment professionals who are losing health insurance from an entertainment industry union health plan. If you are eligible, you will be able to keep the same coverage you have now, at 25% of the COBRA rate.

To be eligible, you must:

1. be a resident of New York
2. meet the monthly income requirements (see chart below)
3. not have other employer coverage or Medicare

• For a detailed FAQ about the subsidy, see here.
• You can find the application for the COBRA subsidy here.
• If you have specific questions for the Department of Finance, their email contact is: COBRA.application@dfs.ny.gov
• If you lose your Local 802 coverage, you will automatically receive notification about the COBRA program from the Local 802 health benefits department (hbp@local802afm.org).

Free Weekly Webinars on Health Insurance

Our free, weekly webinar — Every Artist Insured — now takes place on the first and third Thursday of every month at 12:30pm. Sign up through the Entertainment Community Fund Portal at portal.entertainmentcommunity.org.

We also do a free weekly Welcome to Medicare webinar every Monday at 1pm. You can sign up for that as well on our portal.

Can’t make it to the workshop? We offer free one-on-one counseling and enrollment assistance. Once you’ve registered on our portal, go to this page.

Start at your Entertainment Community Fund Portal Account to access our workshops, programs and services. Our portal caters to your individual needs and interests, and provides access to a wide range of resources and support—all with the goal of giving you what it takes to build a life and career in the arts.

Jim Bracchitta is the managing director of health services for the Entertainment Community Fund. E-mail him at JBracchitta@entertainmentcommunity.org