Excellent Editorial on Health Care

Posted by Myrna the Minx on February 11, 2008 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

This excellent editorial detailing the problems that result from this country’s reliance on employer provided health care was published in the RGJ today. Originally published in the Des Moines Register, it looks at why extending the option for people to buy into the Medicare program offers a possible solution. Universal health care is simply not a radical idea. Health care has been a determining factor in my career choices, including the decision NOT to start my own business.

In the United States, working a job can be as much about having health insurance as it is about getting paid. More than half of Americans rely on an employer (or a spouse’s employer) for access to health insurance. This is the only country in the world that ties health care to employment.

It’s a setup that discourages workers from starting their own businesses and forces them to remain in dead-end jobs. American companies saddled with the high cost of health coverage are less competitive in a global economy where other governments play a bigger role in spreading costs of health coverage for their citizens.

Employer-based health insurance began during the labor shortage of World War II. Wage controls prohibited pay increases, so health coverage became a job perk to attract workers. Today, it’s a burden.