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Most people going through YC are probably in the "can get away with being uninsured" demographic--young, male, healthy, single, childless, and not frequently en

Most people going through YC are probably in the "can get away with being uninsured" demographic--young, male, healthy, single, childless, and not frequently engaged in activities hazardous to health--and for those who can do so, not having health insurance at all is the best way to not be distracted by it.

fpgeek 17y ago
Well, some percentage of the "can get away with being uninsured" demographic actually can't ... they just don't know it yet. In those cases, I'd imagine the impact on the startup of the uninsured founder is very negative. But I understand that those cases might be rare enough with YC's target demographic that it isn't worth the time / effort to prevent them. That being said, as someone who isn't in that demographic (but is thinking seriously about a startup), the soft "can get away with being uninsured / or can juggle health insurance on top of everything else" is personally frustrating (and was what inspired my comments above). For me, it would be a reason not to try the YC route (to be weighed against the reasons to try it, of course).
- camccann 17y ago
  Well, some percentage of the "can get away with being uninsured" demographic actually can't ... they just don't know it yet. Well, yes. Being uninsured is a reverse lottery--you gain a modest benefit with a small chance of an extremely negative result. For the demographic in question it's quite possibly a positive expected utility anyway. I think it's unfortunate that people who do need health insurance are potentially excluded from being entrepreneurs but I can't really fault YC for not tackling the issue. And hey, if it frustrates you sufficiently--if at some point you do launch a startup and get a hefty cash-out, you could put some of that money toward lobbying the government on issues that would make entrepreneurship more accessible to a wider demographic. Seems like something that could have a greater positive impact on society than a lot of other causes...

fpgeek 17y ago

Well, some percentage of the "can get away with being uninsured" demographic actually can't ... they just don't know it yet. In those cases, I'd imagine the impact on the startup of the uninsured founder is very negative. But I understand that those cases might be rare enough with YC's target demographic that it isn't worth the time / effort to prevent them. That being said, as someone who isn't in that demographic (but is thinking seriously about a startup), the soft "can get away with being uninsured / or can juggle health insurance on top of everything else" is personally frustrating (and was what inspired my comments above). For me, it would be a reason not to try the YC route (to be weighed against the reasons to try it, of course).

camccann 17y ago
Well, some percentage of the "can get away with being uninsured" demographic actually can't ... they just don't know it yet. Well, yes. Being uninsured is a reverse lottery--you gain a modest benefit with a small chance of an extremely negative result. For the demographic in question it's quite possibly a positive expected utility anyway. I think it's unfortunate that people who do need health insurance are potentially excluded from being entrepreneurs but I can't really fault YC for not tackling the issue. And hey, if it frustrates you sufficiently--if at some point you do launch a startup and get a hefty cash-out, you could put some of that money toward lobbying the government on issues that would make entrepreneurship more accessible to a wider demographic. Seems like something that could have a greater positive impact on society than a lot of other causes...