Jamaican gov’t launches life insurance plan for entertainers and creatives

Over 4,400 entertainers and creatives in Jamaica now have access to life insurance through the newly launched Jamaica Entertainers and Creatives Insurance Plan (JECIP).

The program, unveiled in a contract signing ceremony on November 12 at the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, was spearheaded by Portfolio Minister Hon. Olivia Grange.

The JECIP, administered by Guardian Life Insurance Group, offers free life insurance coverage to registered members of the National Registry of Entertainment and Creative Industries Practitioners (E-Registry). Coverage extends to individuals aged 6 to 75, with an option to continue until age 99.

Minister Grange emphasized the importance of this initiative for the nation’s entertainment community, urging eligible individuals to enroll. “We are working so that the situation we faced in 2017/2018 will not be repeated,” she said. “In that year, 19 entertainers died, 70 percent of whom had inadequate insurance coverage, leaving them unable to afford proper funeral arrangements. This was particularly embarrassing, as many of these cultural practitioners have given so much to our country.”