VUMC to offer insurance to members of CMA
Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the National Business Association are teaming up to provide a comprehensive and affordable insurance plan for Country Music Association (CMA) members and their families.
CMA is rolling out the exclusive offering — CMA Sound Healthcare — to its membership beginning this month.
“We view this offering as a way to strengthen our relations with the music industry,” said C. Wright Pinson, M.D., associate vice chancellor for Clinical Affairs.
“The program brings each of our strengths together to help CMA members and their families get affordable insurance coverage with better benefits.”
Musicians are historically one of the nation's most uninsurable groups, but Tatum Hauck, manager of Music Industry Relations for VUMC, said the plan is an excellent example of how the music and health care industries can collaborate to make great things happen.
“It is a really big deal to the music industry,” Hauck said. “And it raises the magnolia curtain for Vanderbilt.
The plan targets CMA members who are self-employed, or who cannot find coverage to suit their interests or family budgets.
“Making medical insurance available to CMA members, including those who operate independently as artists or entrepreneurs, is a tremendous benefit to our industry,” said CMA Chief Operating Officer Tammy Genovese.
The plan uses 10 different providers to allow for several options while keeping expenses low.
One option from Signature Health Alliance allows for a 90/10 split of expenses for care at VUMC, besting the industry norm by 10 percent.
It addresses the needs of traveling musicians with a 24-hour phone line to assist with non-emergencies ranging from a sore throat to the flu to occupational hazards such as vocal strain and hearing loss.