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Happiness, gratitude and “long overdue” were the themes in the aftermath of last Tuesday’s official coming to life of the Jamaica Entertainers and Creatives Insurance Plan. At a packed ceremony held at the offices of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport on Trafalgar Road, portfolio minister, Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, and Guardian Life Limited signed the necessary documents which will see entertainment practitioners and creatives benefiting from both life and health insurance policies free of cost.
Evon Mullings, general manager of the Jamaica Music Society (JAMMS), the island’s performance rights organisation and licensing body, spoke to the impact that the insurance coverage will have on the music industry.
“Just speaking from the perspective of JAMMS and knowing that we already have insurance coverage for our members, we have seen the benefits of that. From 2019, we have had … I would want to say the privilege … but also the unfortunate situation, of having had to deal with members who have passed. But, fortunately, quite a number of them were part of our insurance scheme and so their families were well taken care of. So when we see something like this, which is a much larger scale, we are very happy, because it means that those persons who were probably not able to afford the one that we offered, now have the opportunity to have coverage because this is free,” Mullings told The Gleaner.
He noted that the fact that the plan is free “...is what is going to make the difference right now”.
“It’s free and that means that it is affordable. You don’t have an excuse and so I think that is where the impact is going to come from. Just having the scale of representation ... the scale of coverage ... and so you won’t have that unfortunate situation of persons trying to seek assistance when someone has passed. So, I think the impact will be good, but I think the greater impact will come from the group health insurance scheme because you feel that while you are alive. Everybody at some point in time will be able to benefit from that. It’s long overdue, but I think it will have the desired impact that the minister is aiming for it to have and that the industry is welcoming.
President of the Jamaica Federation of Musicians and Affiliated Unions (JFMAU), Lowell Lawson, welcomed the move “personally and on behalf of [his] members” and like Mullings, he opined that it “is long overdue”.
“This is something the JFMAU have been agitating for a long time. We commend the ministry and Minister Grange and the government overall. It is long overdue, and we look forward to it and fervently hope that there will be no change, no matter who ... which party ... may come along. We welcome it,” Lawson said, while explaining that the JFMAU has an insurance policy for members, but which is currently under review.
CEO of Downsound Records , Joe Bogdanovich, told The Gleaner that he was happy that this initiative has been put in place.
“Minister Grange is real … she’s got a big vision. This is a fantastic thing for people who are not insured and don’t know much about it. She’s giving the people the education to understand that these things exist and you need to get onboard because you deserve it and it is not cost prohibitive ... it is free. This is a great thing,” Bogdanovich said.
Sound system veteran and producer, Jack Scorpio, was overflowing with gratitude and encouraged all who are eligible to sign up “and don’t hitch”.
“This is very important … this is something that should be happening long time,” Scorpio said, adding “There are a lot of people who pass on and there was no benefit for them. But with this in place everybody can benefit. And, as Delano (Renaissance Sound system owner) pointed out, the box man dem who work with we on the sound, nutten never did a gwaan fi dem. The other day one of my workers died and a me alone haffi bury him. This is a powerful thing. Thumbs up to Miss Grange and I would encourage all persons in the industry to come onboard. We did need this long, long, long long time. And yuh know the main benefit? Yuh don’t even haffi have money to join it right now. Mi nuh know if in the future dem a go want something … but for right now, it’s free, so come onboard.”
It was announced on Tuesday that all members of the creative industries who are between the ages of six and 75, and are registered on the National Registry of Entertainment and Creative Practitioners, referred to as the E-Registry, are eligible for coverage. Phase One of the insurance plan provides up to $500,000 in death benefits and Phase Two, starting in January, will introduce group health insurance.
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