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).
The contract signing for the new insurance plan was held on Tuesday (November 12) at the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport in Kingston.
The initiative, which was spearheaded by Portfolio Minister, Olivia Grange, is available to all entertainers and creatives who are listed on the National Registry of Entertainment and Creative Industries Practitioners (E-Registry).
Guardian Life Insurance Group will be administering the plan, which covers registered persons, aged six to 75, with the option to extend to age 99.
The coverage is free for all registered entertainers and creatives, which means no monthly contributions are required.
Speaking 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 per cent 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, very seriously,” she Grange emphasised.
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 feel the pain, it is your family members that will be feeling 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 for you, in case of an accident,” he said.
