Give up on employer mandatory

[question everything]

It is presented as yet another loss, another giving up with the health care reform.

Personally, I think this is great. We need to get employers out of the business of providing health care to employees and while doing so, sticking their noses into employees' private life: smoking, drinking, exercising (or not) fat eating, perhaps even extreme sport and multi sex partners..

Yes, this is what McCain proposed, however he had no answer to the ones who would not be able to get any insurance because of those "pre-existing" conditions. Or who would be faced with super expensive options only.

I think that not demanding that employers provide health insurance, with no penalty, but with offering a public option as an alternative, we will be on our way to a better system, perhaps even to a single payer.

[panader0]

1. As an employer, or an ex-employer when there was work,

I am mandated to provide Workman's Compensation for my employees. I know it's not health care. But if I had to provide health care insurance, the cost would have to go to the customer. The unlicensed contractors would take all the work. Hell, they already have.
The customer wants the ceapest price, regardless of being licensed.

[question everything]

2. I know. Recently there was a service man doing some contract work at my house

and he also has his own business. He told me that even though he is a sole proprietor he has to carry workman comp.

States do not want to levy taxes, so instead they use "fees" knowing full well that these fees would be transferred to the customers.

[CTyankee]

5. "Fees" are just another word for "taxes." I love it. The sheeple believe it.

No wonder our country is so focacta...

[TheKentuckian]

3. I wonder why private business isn't going balls to walls on single payer

Not only would it get health insurance off their bottom lines but it would drastically shrink workman's comp as well by removing the medical expenses.

I guess they'd have less "stick" and perhaps stand to lose indentured servants that are hanging on for coverage.

[question everything]

6. I have asked the same thing

last week, when the "media" interviewed small business owners who said that if they would be hit with a 8% penalty (I think) they will either have to pass the cost to their customers or lay off workers.

I remember the early 90s when the then mighty car companies published a one page ad asking for help with our system of health insurance, saying that their health costs were higher than their expenses on steel.

As a matter of fact a justification to produce cars in Canada has been that their health insurance expenses were so much lower there.

[Phx_Dem]

4. I'm not sure how this is a bad thing either. If you can't get it

from your employer, we'll have no choice by to have a public plan. And if companies stop offering health care altogether, we'll end up with a single-payer plan.

[DrToast]

7. That's not true

You don't have to have a public plan if your employer doesn't offer insurance. You CAN get a public plan, but you won't have to.