Pitchfork

Karl Alvarez, bassist for beloved pop-punk founding fathers Descendents as well as Descendents offshoot ALL, suffered a minor heart attack on August 11.

Physically, he is recovering well, but since he doesn't have health insurance, the medical bills he incurred found him unprepared to deal with the financial repercussions of a heart attack. Thus, Alvarez's friends have set up a MySpace page and Paypal account dedicated to the cause of helping him pay these bills, whether through direct donations or the organization of benefit shows. To donate via Paypal, visit the MySpace page here.

Events like this remind us just how essential health insurance is, and we'd like to remind those readers who happen to be musicians of the Future of Music Coalition's Health Insurance Navigation Tool (HINT), the program on which we reported last year that aims at helping musicians figure out the confusing world of health insurance and come up with affordable ways to incorporate it into their lives. As FMC Executive Director and indie rocker in her own right Jenny Toomey reminded us, "[Once you] realize that it's not a luxury, that it's essential, then [you] budget to pay for it."