We’re the only country that has insurance so closely linked with employment. It’s very strange.
It’s a legacy of WWII wage controls. Companies could offer health insurance to get around wage increase limits to attract employees, who were in short supply due to all the men being off to the military. It has been baked into the US system for a long time now.
“We’re the only country that has insurance so closely linked with employment. It’s very strange.”
And it should be. People should EARN their medical care, just as they should EARN their housing and food. It’s not our fault that other countries can’t figure this out (and have twice the unemployment to show for it).
I would love to retire but I don’t want to pay for insurance that my employer provides. Employer provided health insurance is a drug and I’m addicted.