Nonprofits are helping musicians pay for insurance in Austin, Texas, and beyond
The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM) provides subsidized health insurance for local musicians in Austin, Texas. The program serves as a critical safety net for artists struggling with high premiums and the lack of affordable healthcare options.
Why it matters
As gig-economy workers often lack employer-sponsored benefits, nonprofit models like HAAM offer a potential solution for maintaining cultural sectors in expensive cities.
Musician Zack Morgan jokes that when he lost his corporate job in 2015, it was like being pushed off a cliff. For years, he said, he'd been playing both sides of the Austin coin: tech worker by day, funk keyboardist by night.
This story was produced in partnership with KFF Health News .
"Maybe this is my sign to try the full-time music thing," Morgan recalled thinking. "Step one in that was: Get health insurance again."
Austin, Texas bills itself as "the Live Music Capital of the World," but it can be unaffordable for the artists who provide the city with its cultural cachet — and help drive its tourism revenue.
Morgan has supported himself by patching together gigs with a number of bands. To help pay for health insurance, he turned to a local nonprofit, the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians , or HAAM.
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