Everyone needs affordable healthcare — especially artists. It’s no secret that the arts and humanities tend to be among the lowest-earning career paths, and even those who make art professionally often support themselves with a primary job outside their field. Entry into artistic careers can also require internships or apprenticeships that expect long hours in exchange for little to no pay, and for those who do eventually manage to find full-time work, benefits like medical and dental insurance can still be out of reach. The stereotype of the “starving artist” may be a cliché, but it does reflect the real financial struggles many in the creative economy face.
When it comes to protecting their health, however, artists finally have an affordable option even if they can’t acquire insurance. It’s called SingleCare, and it’s a free program that gives users discounts on a variety of medical services. Through SingleCare, members get:
- Up to 80% off prescriptions
- Up to 55% off dental visits
- Up to 75% savings off eye care visits
- Access to 200,000 providers nationwide
- Price estimation tools, and more
On the SingleCare site, users can look through all their options for a given service at a glance. For example, if you want to get the best price on your medication, you can scroll through a list of all your local pharmacies to compare costs and see how much SingleCare can save you at each one. When you make your purchase, just present your SingleCare card, and your provider will charge the payment method on file in your account. You’ll get a record of the cost (and savings) of each transaction. SingleCare requires no membership costs, and there are no ongoing fees or premiums — just a small administrative fee during each transaction. As the company likes to say, SingleCare “only makes money when members save money,” and these fees help it continue to build the partnerships that make their discounts possible.
In addition to saving money on in-person services, SingleCare also offers virtual doctor visits, to help members more conveniently access the care they need. Through a partnership with MeMD, SingleCare allows users to contact a board-certified doctor by phone or video at a moment’s notice, as well as receive a discounted rate on each call. A conference with a board certified physician costs just $45 per visit, and a video counseling session with a Master’s-level behavioral health professional costs $76, making the program an option for maintaining both physical and mental health. Given that artists’ lives can often follow unpredictable schedules, being able to access these medical professionals whenever is convenient, rather than having to schedule appointments or sit in a waiting rooms, means artists never have to choose between work and getting the help they may need.
SingleCare cares about customer feedback, and over the years they’ve received many positive reviews from their members. A small sampling of these testimonies include:
Maria: “I have been very satisfied by using SingleCare at my pharmacy. Now that I have stayed without private insurance, the cost of my medication has really helped out. Totally recommend it to others.”
Ellen: “SingleCare was easy to use and saved a lot of money–almost half of an expensive prescription that I had to pay out-of-pocket. And the SingleCare service is free! Thank you!”
Ramona: “If it were not for SingleCare, I couldn’t afford my medications. This has been a lifesaver for me.”
Debra: “I have no insurance and could not afford my much needed medicine. SingleCare has now made it possible for me to get my meds. So glad I found them.”
Making art is hard, but it doesn’t have to come at the cost of your health. With a program like SingleCare, even those without insurance can still receive affordable medical services, along with around-the-clock access to doctors and mental health professionals. And even those with health insurance may still want to take advantage of its benefits, for the out-of-pocket payments they likely make for some medical expenses. So if fitting healthcare into your budget has been a struggle for you, we recommend signing up for a free membership with SingleCare. Your body, and your work, will thank you.
