Now Offering Unprecedented True Group Health Insurance Plan
Pictured above (L to R): Nashville Musicians Association, AFM Local 257 President, Dave Pomeroy and Sound Healthcare & Financial’s Founder and CEO, RJ Stillwell upon execution of Nashville Musicians Sound Healthcare Plan. Photo Credit: Dave Pomeroy
(Nashville, Tenn. – December 4, 2017) Following the recent announcement of the Nashville Musician Association and Sound Healthcare & Financial’s partnership to offer AFM Local 257 members exclusive access into a true group health insurance plan, new membership applications for the association have risen at an unprecedented rate. As word of this new exclusive membership benefit is spreading, applications continue to increase rapidly and are projected to continue doing so through the open enrollment period. The enrollment deadline to ensure a January 1st, 2018 effective date is December 20th, 2017 and 2018 enrollment can continue throughout the year because it is a True Group Plan.
In mid-November, the Nashville-based insurance and music healthcare advocacy organization, Sound Healthcare & Financial (SH&F), announced the formation of the true group health insurance policy plan with Blue Cross Blue Shield of TN, that is exclusively available for members of the Nashville Musicians Association, AFM Local 257 and only available through SH&F.
“The response to this plan has been overwhelming. It is evident that the industry as a whole is embracing and supporting the combined efforts of Sound Healthcare & Financial, the Nashville Musicians Association, AFM Local 257 and Blue Cross Blue Shield of TN as musicians, artists and industry professionals are all coming on board. Additionally, AFM Local 257 has just announced it will begin a Membership Drive Dec. 1, 2017 through March 31, 2018, which will save new members $165 in Local and Federation initiation fees,” stated Sound Healthcare & Financial Founder and CEO, RJ Stillwell.
Nashville Musicians Association, AFM Local 257 President, Dave Pomeroy, adds,“We are very proud of our long relationship with Sound Healthcare & Financial; which has already saved many of our members a lot of money. Given the uncertainty of health care in our country, the timing could not be better to add this exclusive benefit to the list of what we offer Local 257 members. This really kicks things up to a new level, and we look forward to welcoming many more new AFM members to the AFM Local 257 family in the coming months.”
About Sound Healthcare & Financial: In 2006, as referenced in CMA Close Up, Kix Brooks (Brooks & Dunn), who was serving on the CMA Board at the time, sparked an important conversation about how to bring the music community and Vanderbilt Medical Center together to address the complex challenge of achieving affordable health insurance for CMA members. This proposition proved to be far more difficult than planned; however, after several false starts, RJ Stillwell, a musician and producer with over 25 years of experience as an advocate in other areas, such as education and lifestyle with an active lobbying presence on Capitol Hill, was suggested as the person to get it done. Stillwell pooled resources and architected a private label insurance program – a first for the music industry – establishing CMA Sound Healthcare.
In 2008, Sound Healthcare began advocating for additional music associations including the Nashville Music Association, AFM Local 257. In 2014, Sound Healthcare expanded services to include Long Term Care, Disability, ID Theft Protection, Life Insurance and Wealth Creation and Preservation Strategies, at which time a new entity emerged: Sound Healthcare & Financial. SH & F provides best-in-class protection plans for the creative community and has earned a stellar reputation, as the music industry’s most trusted healthcare advocate.
About Nashville Music Association, AFM Local 257: The Nashville Musicians Association, AFM Local 257 was founded in 1902. Its mission is to serve and protect musicians in an increasingly challenging business environment. AFM Local 257 represents over 2300 of Music City’s finest musicians, including the Nashville Symphony, studio players, road musicians, teachers, singer/songwriters, bandleaders, arrangers, composers, producers, contractors and more. AFM Local 257 also negotiates and administers contracts, tracks additional uses of songs recorded under AFM union contracts, and represents musicians in all genres of music from jazz to rock, pop, bluegrass and gospel, as well as country music. Members range from music icons to young bands working their way up the ladder of success, and everyone in between.
Enrollment in the Nashville Musicians Sound Healthcare Plan is exclusively available through Sound Healthcare & Financial. For more information, please visit www.SoundHealthcare.org
or contact 615.256.8667 / info@soundhealthcare.org.
