KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – More than 4,400 of the island’s entertainers and creatives have been given access to life insurance. This follows the official launch of the Jamaica Entertainers and Creatives Insurance Plan (JECIP) earlier this week.
The initiative, spearheaded by entertainment minister Olivia Grange, is available to all entertainers and creatives listed on the National Registry of Entertainment and Creative Industries Practitioners (E-Registry).
Guardian Life Insurance Group will administer the plan, which covers registered persons aged six to 75 and has the option to extend to age 99.
The coverage is free for all registered entertainers and creatives, so no monthly contributions are required.
During the contract signing, Grange implored entertainers and creatives to take advantage of the opportunity.
“We are working so that the situation we faced in 2017/2018 will not be repeated. I must tell you, in that year, 19 entertainers died, 70 percent of whom died without adequate insurance coverage to provide funding for suitable funeral arrangements. This was particularly embarrassing because many of these entertainment and cultural practitioners have served and given so much to our country,” she said.
“I don’t like to see us having to pass the hat around to bury anybody, and so it is important that you take this very seriously,” Grange emphasized.
Earlier this year, the Ministry’s Entertainment Division completed a small random survey of 142 persons on the registry. The survey revealed that most respondents had an interest in participating in group life insurance. However, 63 percent said they could not afford health insurance.
With that said, the Minister emphasized that the Group Life Insurance Plan is non-contributory.
“Phase two of the program will be up and running in January. We’re launching life now, in November, and come January 2025, the group health insurance will be up and running,” she further informed.
Grange explained that the coverage will be comprehensive, incorporating hospitalization, surgery, accidents, maternity, primary medical, and overseas emergency medical care for those touring.
The Minister also urged participants to identify beneficiaries so that they could handle their estates adequately.
Meanwhile, Guardian’s Group Head of Life, Health and Pensions, Eric Hosin, said, “We are very pleased to be a part of this because we know how important it is that you take care of your families.”
“It’s not just you who feels the pain; your family members will feel more pain. So those who are your dependents would be very happy to know that you have this in place for them, for their benefit and you, in case of an accident,” he said.
The Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Dione Jennings, who was also present at the contract signing, said, “The Ministry… joins with the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment, and Sport in a united mission to ensure that every Jamaican has access to the social protection they deserve, and no one is left behind.”
“As a ministry, we recognize the tangible legacy that you continue to leave with us, and we want to ensure that this legacy will be used to build Jamaica,” she said.
Entertainers and creatives who would like to participate in the plan are encouraged to register online or at the Entertainment Ministry’s offices.
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