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Health insurance tied to employment is the second biggest scam in American history after Reaganomics. It forces people to stay in crappy jobs to maintain covera

Health insurance tied to employment is the second biggest scam in American history after Reaganomics. It forces people to stay in crappy jobs to maintain coverage and fucks with collective bargaining rights. We need universal, single payer healthcare.

BeetleB 3y ago
> Health insurance tied to employment is the second biggest scam in American history after Reaganomics. And yet, sadly, even the "liberals" push for tying it to employment.
- orangecat 3y ago
  Mostly the liberals. In 2008 Mitt Romney pushed for ending the favorable tax treatment of employer-based plans (https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2008/oct/2008-presidential-candidates-health-reform-proposals-choices https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2...), which was instantly attacked by the left for "taking away your insurance". Then the ACA set up the marketplace for individual plans which was good, but also inexplicably added employer mandates.
  - nerdponx 3y ago
    It's the same problem as ending subsidies for higher education and tax deduction of mortgages. In the long run it might be the right thing to do, but in the short term, without offsetting factors, it would cause measurable harm beyond what we should be comfortable tolerating.
boc 3y ago
It started as a reaction to a market distortion during/after WWII. There was a government-imposed salary cap during the war (Stabilization Act of 1942), so private companies had to get creative to attract talent. One thing that stuck was offering additional health insurance to employees. The rest is history. Further reading: https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-obamacare-health-care-employers-20170224-story.html https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-obamaca...
- Apocryphon 3y ago
  If universal healthcare was adopted during the Truman administration, wonder what employers would move on to as their major bargaining chip to woo talent.

BeetleB 3y ago

> Health insurance tied to employment is the second biggest scam in American history after Reaganomics. And yet, sadly, even the "liberals" push for tying it to employment.

orangecat 3y ago
Mostly the liberals. In 2008 Mitt Romney pushed for ending the favorable tax treatment of employer-based plans (https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2008/oct/2008-presidential-candidates-health-reform-proposals-choices https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2...), which was instantly attacked by the left for "taking away your insurance". Then the ACA set up the marketplace for individual plans which was good, but also inexplicably added employer mandates.
- nerdponx 3y ago
  It's the same problem as ending subsidies for higher education and tax deduction of mortgages. In the long run it might be the right thing to do, but in the short term, without offsetting factors, it would cause measurable harm beyond what we should be comfortable tolerating.

boc 3y ago

It started as a reaction to a market distortion during/after WWII. There was a government-imposed salary cap during the war (Stabilization Act of 1942), so private companies had to get creative to attract talent. One thing that stuck was offering additional health insurance to employees. The rest is history. Further reading: https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-obamacare-health-care-employers-20170224-story.html https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-obamaca...

Apocryphon 3y ago
If universal healthcare was adopted during the Truman administration, wonder what employers would move on to as their major bargaining chip to woo talent.