Health Insurance for current "performers"

[Steve C.]

Posted: 10/26/13 at 11:29am

After reading P Healy's NYT article on Daniel Curry and "Spider-Man"(10/22/13) I have a timely question? First, by no means is this a criticism of Daniel himself or the producers. I wish Daniel only the best and hope his health and (from what seems to be a fairly serious medical situation stemming from the accident onstage) subsequent surgeries, etc., are positive and the outcome successful. But why on earth does it take (at least, the first) benefit concert(s) to help him pay for his medical coverage? The chain of questions is only partial here but shouldn't his personal health coverage, insurance from the show itself, Workers Comp Accidental coverage, I mean the list goes on? Also, where is his support from the union for AGMA and the other unions covering productions on the Broadway stages? I'm really not criticizing, but just questioning, if someone in Mr. Curry's situation has an accident onstage and needs fundraising benefits to pay for his medical needs, what happens?

Updated On: 10/26/13 at 11:29 AM

[Harpz2006]

Posted: 10/26/13 at 12:25pm

I would say more than fairly serous considering it sounds like he lost at least a foot. I'm surprised this hasn't been more in the news. It's a shocking story...

[Neverandy]

Posted: 10/26/13 at 2:24pm

Firstly- The performers in Spiderman are working on an Equity Contract, not AGMA.
In regards to the benefit-Put yourself in his situation and think about it-He's a dancer in his 20's who had parts of his foot or leg amputated. His current and future earning potential has completely gone away. He's trained his entire life to work at the top of his field and, at 23 had already made his Broadway debut, so he is no doubt, very very talented. Short of getting killed onstage, this is about as bad as it can get for any performer. I think a group of friends and contemporaries throwing him a benefit concert to throw some money his way is not anything to be begrudged.

[Neverandy]

Posted: 10/26/13 at 2:31pm

Sorry I kinda jumped down your throat-I re-read your post and I admit, you weren't begrudging him.
I think that because of the legal situation, things are probably moving very very slowly in terms of workers comp, etc. I wouldn't be surprised if the company which handles the liability insurance is conducting a thorough (i.e. stupidly long) investigation of their own before they start paying out any funds to the victimHe probably is just starting to get the hospital bills, and combined with the loss of his salary (again who knows if workers comp has gone through yet?) I'm thinking that things are starting to get a little scary financially for this poor guy.

[Steve C.]

Posted: 10/26/13 at 3:38pm

Thanks for the replies everyone; as I can see from your responses it helps me understand more. The news being released is certainly being limited. I myself did not know how much more serious what happened was until I saw some of your replies today. That being said, Daniel certainly needs the kind of assistance being mentioned (and much, much more...) I just hope the producers, Bono, whoever...does the right thing and much much, more...Is there any kind of on line account being set up like a "pay it forward"? Thanks

[oncemorewithfeeling2]

Posted: 10/26/13 at 4:13pm

There is, actually. It was set up during the benefit concert.

I have a feeling that for legal reasons, information is not being released. There's also the fact that, unfortunately, insurance can run out and it seems to run out when it's needed most. I have no idea what kind of insurance AEA has or if there's a limit on it, but there's also things that insurance doesn't cover: rent, groceries, utilities, travel costs, etc. The information on the website says that the family has taken on more unexpected costs right now…very sad situation.
A Web of Love for Daniel Curry

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/26/13 at 4:21pm

Insurance often doesn't cover everything, anyway. I had insurance when I had cancer I still had to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket.

Also, I don't understand why the OP is suggesting performers is a euphemism.
Updated On: 10/26/13 at 04:21 PM

[Steve C.]

Posted: 10/26/13 at 8:23pm

Thanks again everyone for helping with a fuller explanation of what happened; Hi PRS...by no way did I mean to imply a euphemism by using the word PERFORMERS in the heading of my post. Apparently, the original title of my post was not acceptable to the monitors of the B Way World message board. All I had was the name of the production, S:TOTD and references to health insurance and performers. But it was deleted down to Heath Insurance by the monitors. I thought that title was pretty vague in regard to my OP. Anyway, aside from all this, I hope Daniel Curry gets all the help necessary and urge everyone to donate, even if it's only a dollar or two. I will now that someone posted the link. Thanks again to all.

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 10/26/13 at 8:52pm

That is terrible that an actor has to have a benefit to cover his medical bills and everyday living expenses and then his health insurance may run out, when his treatment isn't even finished.

We had an actor here in the UK, who lost his sight in one eye, when a gun malfunctioned, he got a reported payout in the region of $350k, plus he didn't have to worry about his health bills being covered, as this is covered on the National Health Service.

[charliebrown5]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 5:19pm

Health insurance very rarely covers everything. In many cases there are large deductibles and coverage caps. Insurance companies also don't cover every type of procedure, and provide for very limited follow-up and out-of-hospital care. For example, insurance may cover only certain types of wheelchairs (which are cheap and impractical) or only 5 physical therapy appointments (which is nothing).

Insurance also does not cover the expenses incurred by family and friends who left their jobs behind to attend to the injured person, which often includes travel fees, hotel fees, lost wages, etc. Someone else already mentioned future loss of earning potential.

There is a reason the majority of personal bankruptcies in the U.S. stem from medical bills. I wish the injured performer the very best and applaud his castmates and others for stepping up.