Did You Know The IGDA Has a Healthcare Plan?

Back in 2009, the International Game Developers Assocation (IGDA) announced the launch of the IGDA Healthcare Program.

When I became a full-time indie game developer, I was going to lose my employer-provided insurance, so I turned to the IGDA’s program to get coverage instead of trying to find my own insurance on my own. Basically, they teamed up with Association Health Programs, and AHP is able to negotiate a block/group rate for you in your state with a quality insurance provider.

Aside from the fact that insurance companies have opaque policies (“Let me get this straight. A medical professional says there is nothing wrong with my ankle, and you still insist there is a preexisting condition? And you won’t cover the visit I had with the doctor who said that there is no condition in the first place because of this supposed preexisting condition?”) and are hard to deal with in general, I’ve been quite pleased with the IGDA’s program. I’ve had decent coverage at a decent price for more than a year now.

Granted, I’m single (for now), have no children (for now), and am generally healthy. I don’t know what the rates might look like for your specific situation. Or mine in the near future. The coverage is not nearly as comprehensive as my previous employer’s, but it’s a bit better than catastrophic insurance.

But I bring this up because whenever I mention the program in conversation, so many people say “Oh, the IGDA has a healthcare program? I had no idea.”

So now you know.