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Not in the us it ain’t as full time work tends to be required for health care benefits. And these benefits become (quite) important as workers age or, horrors,

Not in the us it ain’t as full time work tends to be required for health care benefits. And these benefits become (quite) important as workers age or, horrors, commit parenthood or have medical issues. Quitting and paying 4-5x for their medical coverage isn’t realistic.

ernestipark 4y ago
(Author) This is certainly the biggest barrier for most. That being said, Google, for instance, allows you to work part time and maintain health benefits. Also, as is the case for me, there's a large contingent of married folks who have a spouse who can maintain benefits working a W2 while the other goes part-time.
- duped 4y ago
  What about their contractors?
  - tough 4y ago
    What do you mean? They're contractors, they can die and Google won't bat an eye /sarcasm
  - kn0where 4y ago
    The health insurance google’s TVCs have access to is so much worse than what FTEs get that it’s hardly worth mentioning.
jdwyah 4y ago
Is it possible for part timers to band together and form collectives to get healthcare as a group?
- bwestergard 4y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiring_hall https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiring_hall
SkyPuncher 4y ago
I always hear medical insurance being a blocker. Which, I find surprising. I was a contractor a few years back. I simply went to healthcare.gov and purchased a plan. It was a bit overwhelming because there were _so many_ options available, but it was essentially the same as buying car or home insurance.
- schemescape 4y ago
  The options vary greatly depending on state and county. There is also a problem in some states where if your income is too low, there might not be any affordable plans. For many in tech, it’s probably not as dire as it seems, but it’s definitely not a solved problem.
- eatsyourtacos 4y ago
  It's easy but can be expensive as hell. Currently paying $1300/mo in premiums for 4 people on a bronze plan with a 10k deductible and 30% co-insurance. Yay.
rco8786 4y ago
It’s still pretty expensive, comparable to a mortgage, especially if you have a family. It’s a pretty major speed bump for folks just starting out in a contractor role just as a baseline expense.

ernestipark 4y ago

(Author) This is certainly the biggest barrier for most. That being said, Google, for instance, allows you to work part time and maintain health benefits. Also, as is the case for me, there's a large contingent of married folks who have a spouse who can maintain benefits working a W2 while the other goes part-time.

duped 4y ago
What about their contractors?
- tough 4y ago
  What do you mean? They're contractors, they can die and Google won't bat an eye /sarcasm
- kn0where 4y ago
  The health insurance google’s TVCs have access to is so much worse than what FTEs get that it’s hardly worth mentioning.

jdwyah 4y ago

Is it possible for part timers to band together and form collectives to get healthcare as a group?

bwestergard 4y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiring_hall https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiring_hall

SkyPuncher 4y ago

I always hear medical insurance being a blocker. Which, I find surprising. I was a contractor a few years back. I simply went to healthcare.gov and purchased a plan. It was a bit overwhelming because there were _so many_ options available, but it was essentially the same as buying car or home insurance.

schemescape 4y ago
The options vary greatly depending on state and county. There is also a problem in some states where if your income is too low, there might not be any affordable plans. For many in tech, it’s probably not as dire as it seems, but it’s definitely not a solved problem.
eatsyourtacos 4y ago
It's easy but can be expensive as hell. Currently paying $1300/mo in premiums for 4 people on a bronze plan with a 10k deductible and 30% co-insurance. Yay.

rco8786 4y ago

It’s still pretty expensive, comparable to a mortgage, especially if you have a family. It’s a pretty major speed bump for folks just starting out in a contractor role just as a baseline expense.