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Interesting how many comments here bring up the inability to live modestly as a freelance musician and have health insurance in the US. Amazing that this statu

Interesting how many comments here bring up the inability to live modestly as a freelance musician and have health insurance in the US. Amazing that this status quo is so widely accepted. And that pursuit of art for happiness and income is frowned upon (or deemed too risky). Meanwhile people are willing to waste their youth in unhappy menial jobs in order to have health insurance. Why shouldn’t people be able to pursue art as work and have a doctor?

rufus_foreman 6y ago
Because I don't want to pay for both my doctor and your doctor so you can pursue art. If that's the deal, then I'll go pursue art too. Now we both need to hope that there are plenty of progressives out there who will go do real work so they can pay for our doctors, comrade. And not get mad at us wreckers who spend all day pursuing art.
- deeblering4 6y ago
  Hate to break it to you but you (and your employer) already do pay for someone else's doctor. That’s how insurance works.
  - rufus_foreman 6y ago
    Hate to break it to you but what's being described is not insurance. Insurance would be, "I work at a job and a pay a premium each month to a company that will cover my costs if I get sick". The situation being described is, "I quit my day job to pursue art and can't afford the premium, but I still want someone to cover my costs if I get sick". That's not how insurance works.
    - deeblering4 6y ago
      My point is that if you want to pursue a non W-2 job, you are on your own for health insurance in many/most states. “art” could very well be freelance programming. With that in mind, how does widening the insurance group to include all (taxed) Americans make the situation worse for the average household? AFAICT the only folks who benefit from the “I don’t want to pay my neighbors Dr. bill” argument are the insurance companies.

rufus_foreman 6y ago

Because I don't want to pay for both my doctor and your doctor so you can pursue art. If that's the deal, then I'll go pursue art too. Now we both need to hope that there are plenty of progressives out there who will go do real work so they can pay for our doctors, comrade. And not get mad at us wreckers who spend all day pursuing art.

deeblering4 6y ago
Hate to break it to you but you (and your employer) already do pay for someone else's doctor. That’s how insurance works.
- rufus_foreman 6y ago
  Hate to break it to you but what's being described is not insurance. Insurance would be, "I work at a job and a pay a premium each month to a company that will cover my costs if I get sick". The situation being described is, "I quit my day job to pursue art and can't afford the premium, but I still want someone to cover my costs if I get sick". That's not how insurance works.
  - deeblering4 6y ago
    My point is that if you want to pursue a non W-2 job, you are on your own for health insurance in many/most states. “art” could very well be freelance programming. With that in mind, how does widening the insurance group to include all (taxed) Americans make the situation worse for the average household? AFAICT the only folks who benefit from the “I don’t want to pay my neighbors Dr. bill” argument are the insurance companies.