Nick Wyman, Equity President Advocating Family Healthcare for Actors

Actors Equity President Nick Wyman recently took to Facebook to advocate family Healthcare for actors. Wyman writes: "If you find twelve weeks of stage work in a year, you qualify for six months coverage under the Equity-League Health Plan; twenty weeks gets you a year's coverage. But even if you are fortunate enough to work 52 weeks in a year, you have to pay for family coverage out of your own pocket. For a spouse and one or more children, that out-of-pocket cost is currently $3381.66 per quarter : over $13,500 a year in after-tax dollars."

He continues, "For years I have argued that, for those of our members who earn their living in our jurisdiction, we as a union should provide a complete health coverage plan, one that includes hospitalization, mental health coverage, dental coverage, and family coverage. Clearly if one is working 52 weeks a year onstage, that is how one earns one's living. Even if you work 35 or 40 weeks, however, that is likely to be the bulk if not the entirety of one's earnings. I want to pressure my fellow Trustees on the Equity-League Board to grant a significant reduction in their family coverage premiums to those actors and stage managers who work 35 (or perhaps 40) weeks in a year. I want to bring that $3381.66 down to $2000 or $1750."

Wyman calls for letters and emails of support so that the issue can be negotiated further. To read Wyman's full message, click here, or send emails to nwyman@actorsequity.org and mail to Nick Wyman, Actors' Equity Association, 165 West 46th Street, NY, NY 10036.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos