More than 11,500 actors have signed a petition against proposed changes to SAG-AFTRA’s health plan as of Saturday night. The changes come in response to projected losses incurred as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, with premium increases and stricter financial eligibility requirements set to take effect Jan. 1, 2021.
The petition, hosted on Change.org, was nearing 11,600 signatures by 6 p.m. PT on Saturday.
In a letter to members sent out on Wednesday, managers of the guild’s health plan said the changes are necessary because of projected deficits “of $141 million this year and $83 million in 2021,” and that “by 2024, the Health Plan is projected to run out of reserves.”
The health plan currently covers those making more than $18,040 per year. But under the proposed changes, SAG-AFTRA members under the age of 65 will now have to earn at least $25,950 per year to be eligible. Members over 65 who are not receiving a pension must earn $25,950 for the year, with at least some “sessional earnings reported; if so, both sessional and residual earnings are included.” It’s unclear how many members will be impacted by the earnings floor being raised.
The Change.org petition calls the changes “unconscionable” during a global pandemic and outlines several of the “horrible changes” it’s pushing back against.
Among other changes to the plan include:
— People only covering themselves will now pay $375 per quarter. If they have one dependent, they will pay a $531 premium per quarter. And if they have two or more dependents, their premium will be $747 per quarter.
— If an eligible member’s spouse is employed and their employer offers health coverage, they must now take that coverage in order to be eligible for any additional coverage through the SAG-AFTRA plan. If they do not accept their employer’s plan, they become ineligible for the guild plan.
— The new plan also eliminates the maximum out-of-pocket expenses for users getting out-of-network coverage. Guild members will now be forced to pay any balance due for out-of-network coverage.
These changes will put SAG-AFTRA members “and their families lives in danger,” the petition added. “We must put pressure on the health plan union and producer trustees to overturn these changes immediately.”
Ross Lincoln contributed to this report.
10 Best Paid Actors of 2020, From Jackie Chan to Dwayne Johnson (Photos)
In its annual calculation of Hollywood's top earning stars, Forbes looked at the earnings between June 1, 2019, and June 1, 2020.
10. Jackie Chan -- $40 million
These days, the 66-year-old martial-arts star makes the bulk of his earnings from endorsement deals, Forbes reported.
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9. Adam Sandler -- $41 million
The comedian earned raves for the indie "Uncut Gems" but raked in most of his money from a lucrative Netflix deal that was extended in January for four more films.
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8. Will Smith -- $44.5 million
The action star has had a string of box office hits in the last year, from "Aladdin" to "Gemini Man" to January's "Bad Boys for Life."
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7. Lin-Manuel Miranda -- $45.5 million
The creator and star of "Hamilton" scored big time when Disney paid $75 million for film rights to hit musical, and an adaptation of his first Broadway hit, "In the Heights" is also in the works.
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6. Akshay Kumar -- $48.5 million
The Bollywood star, who has a TV series in the works for Amazon Prime, earns the bulk of his money from endorsement deals.
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5. Vin Diesel -- $54 million
Even though "F9" was pushed from its planned April release, the action star still cashed in as a producer on the animated Netflix series "Fast & Furious Spy Races."
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4. Ben Affleck -- $55 million
The former big-screen Batman has earned bank thanks to a series of Netflix movies like "Triple Frontier" and "The Last Thing He Wanted."
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3. Mark Wahlberg -- $58 million
In addition to the Netflix hit "Spencer Confidential" earlier this year, Wahlberg has raked it in as a producer of shows like "Ballers" and the nonfiction hit "McMillions."
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2. Ryan Reynolds -- $71.5 million
According to Forbes, the "Deadpool" star earned a cool $20 million on each of his two Netflix movies, "6 Underground" and the upcoming "Red Notice." He also stars in and produced the upcoming feature "Free Guy" and narrates and produces the ABC competition series "Don't."
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1. Dwayne Johnson -- $87.5 million
For the second year in a row, The Rock tops the Forbes list -- including a $23 million payday for Netflix's "Red Notice" as well as his work as a star-producer on HBO's "Ballers" and last winter's "Jumanji: The Next Level."
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Forbes magazine calculated earnings between June 1, 2019, and June 1, 2020
In its annual calculation of Hollywood's top earning stars, Forbes looked at the earnings between June 1, 2019, and June 1, 2020.