Shannen Doherty Calls Out SAG-AFTRA, President Fran Drescher Over Health Insurance Coverage

[hewontgo]

Shannen Doherty has implored SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher to fix the union’s health insurance coverage amid her ongoing cancer battle.https://t.co/5qD2UCndDY
- Us Weekly (@usweekly) March 9, 2023
Shannen Doherty is in the middle of her cancer treatment, which has been made more difficult without proper health insurance coverage. She wrote via

Comments

[oatmealcrispcer]

Genuinely curious (both for people in entertainment industry unions, and unions at large) - is it normal to lose health insurance (specifically union) when you can't work because you are sick (since it isn't employer provided but rather union provided)? I'm also curious the difference between US & Canada. I realize in Canada the breadth of coverage by employment and union health insurance plans is more limited in scope given that there's government healthcare for the "core" stuff (which excludes teeth, meds, and basic eye stuff, among other things).

[calliope1975]

Actors have to make a minimum amount in wages each year to qualify for health care.

Basically, "You must earn at least $26,470 in Covered Earnings in your Base Earnings Period to receive Earned Eligibility for Active Plan health coverage."

It's complicated and the rules changed at the beginning of the pandemic and it's a whole mess and lots of people are mad.

I concur - universal health insurance is critically needed for everyone.

https://www.sagaftraplans.org/health/benefits/spd/qualifying-sag-aftra-health-plan-coverage#:~:text=You%20must%20earn%20at%20least,Eligibility%20will%20be%20increased%20proportionately.

[afeelingunacted]

Basically, "You must earn at least $26,470 in Covered Earnings in your Base Earnings Period to receive Earned Eligibility for Active Plan health coverage."

That seems so fucked up given most actors do NOT earn this and also like... it creates an obvious terrible loophole where if you are too sick to get work your coverage is dropped.

[archersangel]

I always thought it was a certain amount of hours, not money. TIL

[tragedyofempty]

For normal unions, no. I am apart of both SAG-AFTRA and CTA. With CTA I get my insurance because I work full time and my district pays for most of it. For SAG you have to make a min amount of money each year to keep it. It fucks over background and Z listers who can't keep working or can't book enough jobs. You will have it one year and not the next. As far as I know, SAG is the ONLY union to do this and it's bullshit