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New Orleans Low-income Health
Program Could End in August
LIFE
Where Jazz Was Born, Musicians Say
Obamacare Is Out of Reach
By NICHOLAS ST. FLEUR, May 29, 2014 12:14 PM
When Raymond Weber, a New Orleans drummer, is on
stage, he cannot stop thinking about his music. When
he is off stage, he cannot stop thinking about his
growing pile of medical bills.
Mr. Weber, 47, has diabetes and high blood pressure,
and he is uninsured. His insulin pills can cost more
than $300 a month, and his three blood pressure
medications run $390 a month. The new health care
plan Mr. Weber qualifies for under the Affordable Care
Act would strangle his already tight budget, and he said
he could not afford another high monthly bill.
Its real
expensive,
he said. If it
was $200 a
month, I
could afford
that. Not
$400!
Times were
Mr. Webers 12-year-old son, Rodney, performed at a
not always so
tough for Mr.
Weber, who has played in New Orleans for over 40
years. He has toured with greats such as New Orleans
pianist and guitarist Malcolm John Rebennack Jr.,
more often called Dr. John. But now, the occasional
live show is harder to come across and often does not
pay enough to support his wife and three sons, who
also play instruments.
Im trying to work as hard as I can, Mr. Weber said.
Im taking every gig, even the kids parties.
Mr. Webers case is not unique. In 2012, musicians in
New Orleans made $17,800 on average, according to a
recent report from Sweet Home New Orleans, a
nonprofit organization that helps local musicians.
In the birthplace of jazz, life for musicians following
their passion pays very little and comes without health
benefits. And in many cases, national health care
initiatives have only aggravated their struggles.
The Affordable Care Act, which requires all Americans
to purchase health care, has pushed thousands of
musicians like Mr. Weber into the so-called sacrifice
zone. People inhabiting this area make too much
money to qualify for Medicaid in Louisiana but not
enough to afford a coverage plan under the new
national mandates.
But the coup de grace for these struggling artists came
when Gov. Bobby Jindal refused to accept legislation to
expand Medicaid coverage to low-income citizens. He
said that the cost of the expansion nearly $2 billion
over 10 years was too high.
Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell of New Orleans, who is
in favor of expanding Medicaid, has fought incessantly
against Governor Jindal, a Republican, to bring
music workshop. Evan Ortiz | NYT Institute
medical coverage to more than 240,000 eligible
residents, including thousands of local entertainers.
Musicians are the heartbeat of this city, said Ms.
Cantrell, a Democrat. The rejection of the Medicaid
expansion feels like a rejection of the needs of those
human beings and the needs of their families.
The refusal, she said, could also stunt the citys
economy, which thrives largely in part because of its
music.
In 2012, entertainment in Louisiana generated more
than $395 million in gross sales, and it attracted nearly
four million people to festivals, according to the
Mayors Office of Cultural Economy.
Many of the medical facilities available to musicians
are struggling to sustain themselves under the states
new budgetary constraints.
The nonprofit New Orleans Musicians Clinic, which
provides musicians like Mr. Weber with free primary
care services, is no longer reimbursed for some of the
care it provides. And now, for the first time since it
opened 16 years ago, it is functioning at a $500,000
Raymond Weber, 47, is an uninsured New Orleans drummer. He cannot
afford Obamacare, yet he makes too much to qualify for Medicaid. Evan Ortiz
| NYT Institute
deficit.
The rejection affects the poorest of the poor, and
unfortunately, that sometimes includes musicians,
said Erica Dudas, managing director of the New
Orleans Musicians Assistance Foundation, which
provides aid to the Musicians Clinic. She estimates
that as many as 80 percent of the clinics patients fall
into the sacrifice zone.
Bethany Bultman, the founder and president of the
New Orleans Musicians Clinic, said that despite the
deficit, the clinic would continue to serve its patients.
We are not going to say, Too bad, were not getting
reimbursed, so you cant come to our clinic, said Ms.
Bultman, who sees each of her patients as a cultural
icon. Every one of our 2,500 patients is as valuable as
Louis Armstrong, and each of them deserves medical
care if they need it, she said.
To that effect, the Musicians Clinic is helping some of
its clientele navigate, negotiate and become covered
under the Affordable Care Act, which Ms. Bultman calls
an honest-to-God life saver, for helping some of the
clinics sicker patients get health coverage despite their
Raymond Weber demonstrated drumming for a child at the jazz music
workshop. Evan Ortiz | NYT Institute
pre-existent conditions.
During a recent visit at the Musicians Clinic, Mr.
Weber looked at the door as the nurse practitioner
opened it, her hands full of papers. She passed him a
sheet with the results of his most recent A1C test,
which showed how well he was managing his diabetes.
She smiled. This time his blood sugar, which normally
measures a dangerous 10 or 11 percent, came in at a
much safer level, 7.3 percent his best result in years.
Ive got to frame this, he said. If it wasnt for the
Musicians Clinic, Id be in shambles. Without this
place, a lot of us musicians would probably be dead.
As he left the clinicians office and walked past walls
lined with photographs of jazz legends who have been
treated there, Mr. Weber began to prepare for his next
gig, a workshop for children.
Mr. Weber took the stage under the white lights in
Tipitinas music club, where the pianist Professor
Longhair played out his final years. The venue was
filled with the smooth tunes of the saxophone and the
beats of his 12-year-old sons percussion. He looked
completely focused as he raised his microphone and
prepared for the conductors cue: Back to the music.
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Mr. Weber performed with his band, the Raymond Weber Allstars, during
a Sunday jazz music workshop at Tipitinas. Evan Ortiz | NYT Institute