Attention Comedians: Apply for health insurance. It’s the law! And it’s good for you!

For far too long, I’ve heard about the plight of comedians who don’t have health insurance because they’re not in a union such as SAG or the WGA that can subsidize the costs or offer a plan they can afford.

I’ve shared far too many stories about benefit shows and fund-raisers for comedians who fell ill or were accident victims and incurred hefty hospital bills, without the benefit of insurance.

And for several years after leaving my newspaper career to launch The Comic’s Comic, I’ve gone without insurance myself.

There’s no excuses anymore.

Today — March 31, 2014 — is the deadline to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Or, as fans and foes alike refer to it more often, Obamacare.

Get yourself covered. You don’t need to see President Barack Obama get “Between Two Ferns” with Zach Galifianakis to be reminded. Or perhaps you did. In my case, I’m a lifelong procrastinator — born three weeks late and I’ve been putting everything off until the last moment ever since. But I signed up today. I’ll be paying $121/month for my health insurance, after tax credits. What’s your excuse?

It’s the law.

And it’s good for you.

The FEDERAL website (much maligned over the fall of 2013 as it were): Healthcare.gov

NEW YORKERS: Bypass the federal site, proceed directly to https://nystateofhealth.ny.gov/individual

CALIFORNIANS: Proceed directly to https://www.coveredca.com/

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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