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I don’t know why Amazon gets most of the blame for such outcomes. It is true that amazon’s efficiencies cannot be matched by most stores, but IMHO, I think it i

I don’t know why Amazon gets most of the blame for such outcomes. It is true that amazon’s efficiencies cannot be matched by most stores, but IMHO, I think it is the health insurance for employees that kills small businesses in the US. I believe the situation was bad but manageable before Obamacare and it became unbearable for many small businesses due the the ever rising costs of employees’ healthcare.

mgkimsal 9y ago
> "became unbearable for many small businesses due the the ever rising costs of employees’ healthcare." yet one more reason why "health insurance" should not be something remotely tied to your employer nor employment status. :/
- chii 9y ago
  framing healthcare cost in terms of insurance is probably the wrong thing to do for a society, and because healthcare is framed as "insurance", it makes it easier to suggest that the employer pays (since they already pay other kinds of insurance). healthcare cost ought to be called what it is : levies on society, so that those who get sick can get care without paying. healthcare tax, or medical levy.
  - GirlsCanCode 9y ago
    What about people -- the majority of the U.S. population -- who eat themselves into having health problems by being overweight or obese? Why should non-gluttons pay for them?
  - mgkimsal 9y ago
    "since they already pay other kinds of insurance" what other types of insurance? social security / medicare? some employers might provide life insurance as well, but... that's it. oh... "unemployment insurance" I guess, in some states (all of this is assuming US for discussion, btw).
    - chii 9y ago
      Usually, workplace insurance (something like life/continuance insurance). Some employers provides vehicles, which also has insurance associated with it.
- calvinbhai 9y ago
  True. I was blissfully unaware of such requirements for employers until I spoke with a few small biz owners who downsized because they couldn’t sustain the full work force. With the current healthcare costs structure, I wouldn’t mind if the quality of healthcare received was amazing (at very little cost). But employees end up paying a lot even with a good insurance, every year. So in a sense, the health insurance industry is incentivizing big businesses by shuttering small ones (and those employees will go work for a big biz). If small businesses (I guess less than 200 employees were exempt from providing healthcare, Amazon would have a much tougher time to cope with such competition. Right now it is a cake walk. Amazon’s robots in the warehouses don’t need health insurance.
  - mgkimsal 9y ago
    No companies have to provide health insurance, IIRC. It would be great if most/all companies stopped doing it, and moved the decisions back to the actual consumers. Or hey - just provide a basic health insurance safety net for the whole society.
    - nojvek 9y ago
      America’s health insurance industry is too deep inside GOP for this to be a thing at least in this decade. With the latest tax cuts it’s very evident that this country favors Large corporations over small businesses. May be it is a good thing, but I bet in the next 20 years, America won’t have the highest GDP if some of the things don’t reverse. Also expect a crash by 2020.
golemiprague 9y ago
America need to choose, either they go with the European model where people pay a certain amount of tax for healthcare and it is shared between the whole population or to make it a private thing and each person will decide for themselves if and how much they want to pay for insurance. Either way it will be cheaper and simpler than the mess it is today, especially with this Obamacare but even before it was completely dysfunctional. Health insurance should not be more expensive than a phone bill.
fahayekwasright 9y ago
Do you need a bridge or some kool aid? Either way I have some to sell you.
ac29 9y ago
> I believe the situation was bad but manageable before Obamacare and it became unbearable for many small businesses due the the ever rising costs of employees’ healthcare. Business under 50 employees are exempt from the ACA rule requiring them to provide healthcare. I doubt many small retail stores have that many employees.

mgkimsal 9y ago

> "became unbearable for many small businesses due the the ever rising costs of employees’ healthcare." yet one more reason why "health insurance" should not be something remotely tied to your employer nor employment status. :/

chii 9y ago
framing healthcare cost in terms of insurance is probably the wrong thing to do for a society, and because healthcare is framed as "insurance", it makes it easier to suggest that the employer pays (since they already pay other kinds of insurance). healthcare cost ought to be called what it is : levies on society, so that those who get sick can get care without paying. healthcare tax, or medical levy.
- GirlsCanCode 9y ago
  What about people -- the majority of the U.S. population -- who eat themselves into having health problems by being overweight or obese? Why should non-gluttons pay for them?
- mgkimsal 9y ago
  "since they already pay other kinds of insurance" what other types of insurance? social security / medicare? some employers might provide life insurance as well, but... that's it. oh... "unemployment insurance" I guess, in some states (all of this is assuming US for discussion, btw).
  - chii 9y ago
    Usually, workplace insurance (something like life/continuance insurance). Some employers provides vehicles, which also has insurance associated with it.
calvinbhai 9y ago
True. I was blissfully unaware of such requirements for employers until I spoke with a few small biz owners who downsized because they couldn’t sustain the full work force. With the current healthcare costs structure, I wouldn’t mind if the quality of healthcare received was amazing (at very little cost). But employees end up paying a lot even with a good insurance, every year. So in a sense, the health insurance industry is incentivizing big businesses by shuttering small ones (and those employees will go work for a big biz). If small businesses (I guess less than 200 employees were exempt from providing healthcare, Amazon would have a much tougher time to cope with such competition. Right now it is a cake walk. Amazon’s robots in the warehouses don’t need health insurance.
- mgkimsal 9y ago
  No companies have to provide health insurance, IIRC. It would be great if most/all companies stopped doing it, and moved the decisions back to the actual consumers. Or hey - just provide a basic health insurance safety net for the whole society.
  - nojvek 9y ago
    America’s health insurance industry is too deep inside GOP for this to be a thing at least in this decade. With the latest tax cuts it’s very evident that this country favors Large corporations over small businesses. May be it is a good thing, but I bet in the next 20 years, America won’t have the highest GDP if some of the things don’t reverse. Also expect a crash by 2020.

golemiprague 9y ago

America need to choose, either they go with the European model where people pay a certain amount of tax for healthcare and it is shared between the whole population or to make it a private thing and each person will decide for themselves if and how much they want to pay for insurance. Either way it will be cheaper and simpler than the mess it is today, especially with this Obamacare but even before it was completely dysfunctional. Health insurance should not be more expensive than a phone bill.

fahayekwasright 9y ago

Do you need a bridge or some kool aid? Either way I have some to sell you.

ac29 9y ago

> I believe the situation was bad but manageable before Obamacare and it became unbearable for many small businesses due the the ever rising costs of employees’ healthcare. Business under 50 employees are exempt from the ACA rule requiring them to provide healthcare. I doubt many small retail stores have that many employees.