That is the point. No employer is going to be liable for benefits to an older person.
The medical/insurance unholy alliance is at work again. Markets can't provide solutions when they are warped to distortion by ill conceived regulations; but "black-markets" will arise...
I am closing in on 50 years. I saw the hand writing on the wall a few years ago. I quit smoking and got in shape just in case I need to look for a new job.
There are a number of doctors who have tried to be sensitive to the situation. They simply won't let you in the door if you have insurance.
But if you walk in and pay cash they will treat you and do it for a very reasonable price.
The reason being that the cost of them processing and submitting insurance claims is probably their second highest expense, passed only by medical malpractice insurance.
Yep the state requiring equal medical coverage to all employees at work again. Its very risky to have an older person who might need a 250,000$ surgery.
We can see in this article what is happening. The employers in fact do want to hire Harry. They are giving him contracts to get around the liability issues the government forces on them.
If the government got rid of the communist requirements... Harry would be hired full time.
If we were to tax health benefits as income a lot of problems would be solved.
No employee wants to be liable for benefits to an older person unless it is voluntary.
"He got an offer for some contract work. There were no benefits, but it was a paying job.
That is the point. No employer is going to be liable for benefits to an older person."
The two companies that I work for have eliminated medical benefits for all new hires, but allow the new hires to buy health insurance at reduced rates. Age isn't a factor. Their new retirement plan for these new hires is "we will put some of your earned money in an account if you want us to."
That's why a person over 50 (40 in some fields) can no longer get W-2 work at a 'real" job. The solution is to contract. This relieves the client of liability for health insurance. You may also have to carry your own workman's comp and E&O, depending on the field.
Seems odd. At my workplace, a major defense contractor, we seem to hire anyone who can barely drag themsleves to the elevator to get the the top (2nd) floor. We seem to be under orders to hire overweight women and minorities for the lower end positions. I swear some of these newly hired are a step away from cardiac arrest.