By Stacy Keith, Director
When the Lubbock Cultural Arts Foundation was established in 2020, conversations began immediately about the challenge of healthcare plans for independent artists, performers and entrepreneurs. The issue of being independent (working for yourself) after leaving home and the safety of a nest with a family healthcare plan is daunting for many. What do you do as an independent performer or artist in your mid-twenties who is either single or has a spouse with a job without health insurance coverage? How do you raise a family without a health care plan? What do you do if you have a car wreck or an injury which takes you away from your art and enables medical bills to pile up? Can you afford to be insured? Can you not? Sometimes, youth keeps us from understanding that we are not indestructible and a car wreck (even a minor one) can cost thousands of dollars to recover from. Another, serious issue for many people is the need for mental health support and addiction support. How do you access these things if you simply don’t have the resources to pay for them and get the help you need?
In 2025, the Music Friendly Advisory Committee decided to make this issue a priority and began to look for solutions. Was there a plan accessible for Lubbock artists we just weren’t aware of? How does the Affordable Care Act work and are there people who can help navigate that? What about counseling and private insurance options? What’s out there?
We started within our own community and learned that University Medical Center (UMC) has a plan called Blue Card. UMC also offers a financial assistance program to support people who cannot pay out of pocket all at once and works with individuals to set up a doable method of payment. More information may be found here on the choices through UMC. The Blue Card can provide assistance with doctor’s visits, hospital services and prescriptions, but it is a plan for permanent residents of Lubbock County (so students from out of town would not be eligible for example). Furthermore, it is not meant for those who have another plan, such as Medicare, Medicaid, Commercial Insurance or other third-party sources. The Blue Card is a beneficial plan for many and if you need a solution for coverage (particularly short term) it will be good to explore at the link provided. Blue Card Program
Covenant Health System also has a 
Financial Assistance plan. If you visit Covenant and receive treatment, like UMC, they will work with you to create a way to pay your bill. Their Financial Assistance Program seeks to make their health care services available to everyone in the community needing emergency or medically necessary care. In Lubbock, they do not offer a private insurance type of option for patients. However, they will work with patients to find a solution to help them pay a bill owed.
If you are a Texas Tech University student – be aware that Texas Tech University offers a robust health care system for students as well as a health care plan for students. They can assist with wellness, behavioral health (mental health), labs, nurse clinic, pharmacy, primary and urgent care, sports medicine, travel medicine, women’s health and x-ray services. For those enrolled at Texas Tech, the Student Health Services is a wealth of resources and can address many needs.
These options are all great, but the missing piece for us seemed to be the preventative health care route. So, we did a bit of hunting and found two reputable gentlemen who joined us for our 5th Getting the Gig to share information from the Affordable Care Act and the private market perspective. Austin Davis who is a representative of Horace Mann and works as an insurance broker, helps independents shop the market to identify the right private insurance plan. He also happens to be the banjo player in the Josh Abbott Band – so he’s been there. Private plans that Austin can help you locate can cover not only individuals, but families too. A broker can help do the research for an individual and compare benefits and costs to assess what plan might work best for the individual’s needs and budget. There is no cost to the individual for this great service.
We were also joined by Chris Marshall of Stephens Insurance. Chris works a great deal with the Affordable Care Act, which also has many options and lines to choose from. Like Austin, Chris can help take some of the intimidation away from the process by working with a client to shop the various choices and offer suggestions as to the best approach. At Getting the Gig, Chris shared there were 51 choices for Affordable Care Act coverage in Lubbock- that’s a lot and it’s reassuring that there are choices out there for people and someone to help navigate the process.
So, keep creating, keep performing, but know that you have options to take care of yourself as you travel a very exciting and independent road. Taking care of your health is the most important thing you can do in your career. Don’t neglect it – there are options.