Artists Beware

I was saddened last year to hear that singer Angela Bofill suffered a massive stroke that left her partially paralyzed. She seemed rather young to have suffered a neurological insult of this magnitude, only in her early 50s. Yes, Luther Vandross was about the same age when he was similarly stricken, but while this also saddened me, frankly, the news did not come as a surprise. Wildly fluctuating weight and crash diets work against robust good health.

While Luther received top-notch medical care for the remainder of his life, Angela has not been as lucky. I was shocked to learn that she had no health insurance. Benefits have been held to aid her with paying her medical bills, and donations are being accepted (if you'd like to contribute, visit www.angelabofill.com.) Her fans all hope Angela will make a full recovery and sing again.

This is not the first time I have heard of fundraising efforts on behalf of an artist with a loyal following who became ill and did not carry health insurance. Over the years I've seen numerous posts for fellow authors stricken by cancer or other ailments. Health care coverage is extremely expensive in this age of skyrocketing medical costs, and if sought after an individual has already developed health issues like high blood pressure or diabetes, it might be impossible to get.

Luther Vandross, of course, sold millions of CDs and was a household name, with monetary holdings befitting someone who attained such great success. Angela Bofill's hot streak ran from 1978, the year she released her first album, to the mid-1980s, a short span of six or seven years over two decades ago, and her level of fame (and her finances) never came close to matching the millions of dollars earned by Luther. Fortunately, after her career cooled off, Ms. Bofill continued to release CDs and has remained a popular draw in urban theater and at concerts all over the world.

Naturally, I'm not privy to Ms. Bofill's personal circumstances and don't know why she did not carry health insurance coverage. I do feel fairly certain that she will not be able to get it at this point; insurance companies like to write policies for the young and healthy, certainly not for people who might need to use it unless they've had an opportunity to collect 20 years or more of premiums. The bottom line is that people do become more prone to illness as we age, even during our middle years. Anyone, whether in the performing arts, the literary arts, or any other field, weighing the decision whether or not to chuck the day job and go solo with no spouse to cover you, please consider the cost of health insurance when considering whether you can afford it.

Or else there might be some future benefit out there with your name on it.