Health Care Reform and Self Employment
Let’s face it: many Americans have stayed in their soul-sucking, dead-end corporate jobs for years because they need the corporate benefits, and specifically, the medical insurance that their employers provide. Consider that many employees working for “Corporate America” would much rather be self-employed, getting paid to do the things they love and being their own bosses. Unfortunately, these Americans are stuck in their jobs, in part because they need the money; however, some employees stay strictly for the benefits. Corporate employees climb into their vehicles, fill up the vehicles with overpriced gasoline, and commute back and forth to jobs they hate, because they have to, and because their families need them to. If it were fun, they wouldn’t call it “work,” right?
Yet, Americans with entrepreneurial potential might leave their jobs if they had another source of affordable health care. After all, the United States is the “land of opportunity,” the capitalist society that encourages its citizens to be entrepreneurs, growing companies like Microsoft, Wal-Mart, and Starbucks from the ground up and proving the potential of the individual in the capitalist society. Yet the U. S. Census Bureau reports that sixty percent of Americans have some kind of medical insurance through their employers, while only ten percent of Americans pay directly for private health coverage. These statistics suggest that Americans employed by others outnumber the self-employed by six to one.
In the meantime, the United States government is discussing global health care reform, and discussing it seriously enough that debates are raging through Congress, the media, and across the Internet. Although the exact logistical details of the reform will be a long time in the making, primarily due to the heated debate over the topic, some kind of change is on the way. The goal of the current administration is ensure that all Americans receive health care. The U. S. Census Bureau reports that over fifteen percent of Americans are without medical insurance altogether, which is a primary driver for reform. Regardless of the form Obama’s famous “change” will take, his intent is to make health coverage affordable and available for everyone.
If health care suddenly becomes available for Americans everywhere, regardless of income level or employment status, there might be an interesting side effect on the overall economy and U. S. unemployment rate. Employees who were previously trapped by the need for employer provided medicare insurance quotes might find themselves able to leave their jobs, resulting in a mass exodus from Corporate America. This might open up jobs for the unemployed, driving the unemployment rate down, and meanwhile, flood the United States economy with an increase in small businesses. It remains to be seen whether the small business market could handle the flood, or whether failing entrepreneurs would burden the taxpayers with tax write-offs and a subsequent increase in the payout of unemployment benefits.
Health care reform is on the way, reform will impact the availability of affordable health care for all Americans, and Americans previously stuck in dead-end jobs so they could provide their families with medical coverage may find opportunities they have been waiting for. The face of America is changing, and those unable to adapt will be left in the dust. Smart citizens will stay on top of this pending reform and determine how it can benefit them.
