8 ms·
Everybody seems to be latching on to the McDonald's part of her story, the author included. But it's the hospital part I find mortifying. McDonald's is pinching
by excalibur 7y ago
Everybody seems to be latching on to the McDonald's part of her story, the author included. But it's the hospital part I find mortifying. McDonald's is pinching pennies left and right, it's their key to success. The hospital is not. How much would you guess they're charging per day for the average patient to stay there? I bet it's enough money to cover full-time employment and benefits for their food service workers.
- jonnycoder 7y agoHopefully Trump's new federal policy of requiring hospital groups to disclose prices will help answer these questions and put pressure on that industry.
- nickthemagicman 7y ago"Hospitals could be fined $300 a day by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services if they don’t comply with the new disclosure rule, officials said." https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/15/trump-releases-rule-requiring-hospitals-and-insurers-to-disclose-negotiated-rates.html https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/15/trump-releases-rule-requirin... The stick is not big enough.
- carty76ers 7y agoIs that per non-disclosure event?
- MR4D 7y agoClearly it is. The hospitals are suing the government to prevent the rule. A massive amount is about to be spent on lawyers, so clearly they see this as a huge threat. [0] - https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2019/12/04/550275.htm https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2019/12/04/55...
- ntsplnkv2 7y agoOf course - the fine can be increased or changed if they don't challenge it. Doesn't mean it's enough now.
- tehwebguy 7y agoHopefully it will be enacted in 2021 as planned. My money is on Hospitals making it a constitutional issue and dragging it out for a decade though.
- narag 7y agoAt least the hospital could provide health care at a discount?
- whack 7y agoI find it very interesting that most people assume it should be the employer's responsibility to provide for the employee's wellbeing. Call me naive, but I think it should be society's responsibility. What about Hedge Funds, Technology companies, Law Firms and every other company that hires primarily 6-figure white collar employees. Should they be completely off the hook, just because their business model only requires small numbers of white collar workers? What about yuppies and millionaires who eat at nice restaurants, shop at Whole Foods and cook our own meals, instead of buying from McDonalds. Should we be immune from minimum wage increases just because we can afford to pay for the finer things in life? Minimum wage laws are fundamentally a tax on low-margin businesses and the low-wage workers who frequent them. There's a better option available. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). It can ensure that workers take home $15/hour, while also ensuring that the cost is borne by the entire society. Not just a few specific industries and the specific demographics that rely on them.
- frgtpsswrdlame 7y agoCorporations are a part and a result of our society. The government should not be in the business of subsidizing companies who aren't profitable enough to pay a living wage, it should just mandate a living wage and companies who aren't able to meet it go out of business. 'Creative destruction' and all that.
- scarface74 7y agoHow many YC funded companies have ever been profitable? VC backed tech companies “aren’t profitable enough” to pay a living wage. Small businesses outside of the tech sector don’t have the access to capital that tech bro’s have.
- frgtpsswrdlame 7y agoI don't think access to capital is a mitigating factor. It doesn't really matter why you can't pay a wage that a worker can live on. If you can't do it you should go out of business.
- seem_2211 7y agoWack that a hospital doesn't insure health insurance... bet it's a non profit at that. Criminal.