SAG-AFTRA health insurance thresholds spark concern among Hollywood actors

Hollywood actors are raising public awareness regarding new SAG-AFTRA union requirements that threaten their access to health insurance. Performers, including Heather Matarazzo and Jack Haven, have shared their struggles on social media as they face the possibility of losing coverage due to rising earning thresholds.

Under the current union contract, actors must meet an annual earning requirement of $28,933 to qualify for the health plan. This threshold is scheduled to increase by $900 each year through 2030, reaching $32,533. These requirements were implemented to address financial deficits within the union’s health plan. However, reports indicate that these changes have resulted in approximately 90 percent of actors no longer being covered under the union’s healthcare plans.

Concerns are heightened by the fact that union scale wages for speaking roles can be quite low, ranging from $256 a day on low-budget productions to $1,283 a day on productions with budgets exceeding $2 million.