I was asking this question of my liberal arts econ professors in the late 90s and early 2000s wathing all the pension/defined benefit plans get dumped on the PBGC in the 80s and 90s...A structural flaw that has cost our citizens more economic consideration than almost anything flawed in the healthcare system. An anachronism from Auto manufacturers and the Supermarkets not wanting to establish higher base rate wages in the early 60s.NattyBohChamps04 wrote: ↑Wed Oct 18, 2023 12:25 pmNot sure why health insurance is still tied to employment in 2023.Farfromgeneva wrote: ↑Wed Oct 18, 2023 8:07 am Health insurance costs near $24K after big jump this year: survey
Tina Reed
Data: KFF, BLS; Chart: Axios Visuals
The average cost of workplace health insurance premiums for family coverage reached nearly $24,000 this year, jumping 7% from 2022, according to the latest annual KFF survey of employer-sponsored coverage.
And don't get me started on small business insurance offerings. It's mind bogglingly stupid and expensive. And your employees generally don't comprehend or understand just how much you're paying. And if you don't offer insurance yet pay them extra? They complain. Want to give them cash to help pay for an ACA plan? They have to technically report that and their monthly credit is reduced by that amount. And if you do offer them cash to help out with a wink wink on the d/l? They pocket it, don't buy insurance, then complain when they have issues. And if an employee jumps ship to a competitor that offers insurance (mostly because it was a shorter commute)? And you ask them how much they're contributing, what the details are regarding their plan? They have no clue. We literally have a manager sit down with prospectives to show them how to get insurance in the marketplace and how stupidly cheap it usually is compared to anything we could offer.
Not sure why the small business lobbies aren't the loudest group calling for a single payer option or other reform.
Also always found the excellent benefits and lifetime employment security (at least compared with the private sector) and so many "40hrs and that's it" a week salaried federal employees when I lived in DC and they were whining for more cash comp while I'm learning in grad school about HR and Org Behavior as a requirement and how they already have meaningfully higher total economic comp and are just whining.
I'm only capable of starting a business and running independent last half dozen years becuase of my wifes family owned employer cadillac family plan. Trust me at times it's crept into my "should I stay or should I go" home/personal life evaulation in the past few years...
Having state oversight and fixed at state borders is beyond idiotic too.