When Jesse Ventura failed to get the support of fellow wrestlers to unionize so that they could (among other things) buy health insurance in bulk at a discounted price, he began a film career in order to get that card and the coverage that came with it.
Onlyme,
Do SAG benefits cover spouses and children like those plans offered through most conventional employers?
And what are the current requirements to maintain membership – dues, camera time, lines, etc?
Yes SAG benefits do cover spouses and dependents, however it is on a pro-rated basis.
If it works anything like the Canadian union ACTRA, the extent of your coverage is dependent upon how often you work, as well as how much money you make.
Under ACTRA, everytime you work, a small % of your income 3% goes towards insurance & retirement.
Obviously, the more you work, and the money you make, the bigger your 3% will be. That buys you more insurance coverage.
Under ACTRA we used to have 8 levels of coverage: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Level 7 covers spouses & dependants.
If you're unmarried, and at level 7, you could request to be downgraded to level 6 coverage. There was no out-of-pocket cost for the insurance, it came from your 3%'s as well as employer contributions. The only time you had to dip in for coverage is if you didn't work enough in the previous year to qualify, ...they would allow you to make a payment to keep the same level of coverage. It was actually pretty good. It covered just about everything OHIP didn't... which wasn't much. It covered eyeglases, prescriptions, chiropracters, and also covered dentistry as well including what most considered cosmetic dentistry (teeth bleaching). Last year, they changed it from an 8 tiered system to a 3 tiered system of bronze, silver & gold.
