Music: About 2 million Americans who work...

Music: About 2 million Americans who work in the recording industry--in jobs ranging from music publicist to sound engineer to “roadie” for a rock band--are soon to be eligible for cut-rate health insurance under an innovative program organized by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Up to 70% of the recording industry--where most people are self-employed--currently lacks health insurance, said academy President Michael Greene. Because health insurance can be prohibitively expensive for individuals, the academy and its consultants created the nation’s first multi-state health insurance purchasing pool for a single industry. The result will allow individuals to obtain care through a health maintenance organization at group health insurance prices.