Nancy Pelosi and Musicians

Nancy Pelosi recently made the comment that musicians will be better off under Obamacare.  They will be able to quit their day jobs and focus all their attention on their creative side.  Here are some of her comments:

“We see this as an entrepreneurial bill, a bill that says to someone, if you want to be creative and be a musician or whatever, you can leave your work, focus on your talent, your skill, your passion, your aspirations because you will have health care.”

As a musician, being sure that medical bills will be paid for is a nice luxury, but not necessary to creativity.  The assertion that musicians will be better off focusing all of their creative energies on their music without having to work the day job seems a bit misguided.  Oftentimes, creativity is sparked during times not devoted to music writing.

Most musicians I know who don’t have a day job waste a lot of their time on non-productive activities.  Most musicians I know who have day jobs prize their gigs & time for writing more and end up using their time wisely.

I’ve also seen a few musician friends in Atlanta who have been in accidents that required major medical expenses.  They didn’t have health insurance, but what happened is the Atlanta music community gathered together to raise funds through concerts and fund raising.

Also, there are a number of inexpensive alternatives for health insurance ranging from $100 – $500/month.  As a single male, I paid around $100/month for health insurance.  Musicians should be able to afford $100/month with or without a day job.

I’d love to hear your comments below…