221
all 13 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] DigitalTraveler42@lemm.ee 60 points 1 year ago
[-] transientpunk@sh.itjust.works 33 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Exactly. If your literal health and wellness are tied to being employed, you're going to be way less likely to rock the boat.

[-] Chetzemoka@startrek.website 28 points 1 year ago

I'll just copy my comment from another post of this article:

History lesson time: This wasn't done on purpose. It's an artifact of decisions made by Congress during World War II to support war production.

So many young men were away at war that it created a labor shortage, even with some women entering the work force. This led to spiraling increases in wages that were threatening the viability of critical war manufacturers.

In an effort to protect this manufacturing sector, Congress capped wage increases. But those corporations were still competing for workers and now they were no longer able to offer them higher and higher wages. So instead, they started offering them "perks" like health insurance, pensions, and paid time off.

THEN:

"In 1943 the War Labor Board, which had one year earlier introduced wage and price controls, ruled that contributions to insurance and pension funds did not count as wages. In a war economy with labor shortages, employer contributions for employee health benefits became a means of maneuvering around wage controls."

Emphasis mine. And guess what? When those young men returned from war and re-entered the work force, they wanted those perks too. So which company was going to be the first to deescalate the arms race and NOT offer health insurance?

And those perks being so ubiquitous meant the government never had an incentive to provide health coverage directly to anyone of working age, so we only have Medicare for retirees.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK235989/#:~:text=In%201943%20the%20War%20Labor,of%20maneuvering%20around%20wage%20controls.

[-] DessertStorms@kbin.social 17 points 1 year ago

Because they're currently winning at capitalism, but don't worry, the rest of us are on a race to the bottom trying to catch up..

[-] spacecowboy@sh.itjust.works 15 points 1 year ago

Because America is a big fat fraud!

[-] roofuskit@kbin.social 14 points 1 year ago

Capitalist greed.

[-] oakey66@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It’s important to ask why employers would be actively fighting against any significant healthcare reform. They spend countless hours annually negotiating insurance contracts which always ends up costing them and their employees more money. The only reason to continue to do this is that it allows them the ability to control employees.

[-] Black616Angel@feddit.de 8 points 1 year ago
[-] Dyskolos@lemmy.zip 5 points 1 year ago

Because of the American dream. The freedom. It is there, but you guys forgot to restrain it to individuals not corporations. They have the freedom too and they use it to fuck the individual's freedom. System working as intended. Capitalism at its finest.

[-] BlackSkinnedJew@lemmynsfw.com 5 points 1 year ago

In neoliberalist capitalist systems health care it's a business just like labor force produce wealth for the owner, the health of the workers is just another side of the business.

[-] MissJinx@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It's not the only one, many countries have Jobs that offers good private health insurance, but all of them have free health care too, so you don't need it to live, it's just an improvment or luxury that the job offera. Like staying in a private room, going to private less crowded hospitals etc. But again, if we don't have a job we still have a good enough free health care

[-] JiveTurkey@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Because we're fucking stupid.

this post was submitted on 16 Oct 2023
221 points (97.0% liked)

A Boring Dystopia

9752 readers
16 users here now

Pictures, Videos, Articles showing just how boring it is to live in a dystopic society, or with signs of a dystopic society.

Rules (Subject to Change)

--Be a Decent Human Being

--Posting news articles: include the source name and exact title from article in your post title

--Posts must have something to do with the topic

--Zero tolerance for Racism/Sexism/Ableism/etc.

--No NSFW content

--Abide by the rules of lemmy.world

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS